Harry Potter cast his powerful spell over the moviegoing public two weekends ago, only to have it broken by the charms of an elite team of talking guinea pigs who topped the box office last week.

This weekend, "Funny People" starring Adam Sandler and directed by Judd Apatow will have audiences laughing and knee-slapping in theaters near you. If you've seen an R-rated comedy in the last few years, odds are that Apatow was somehow involved. He has produced a slew of films like "Knocked Up," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and "Step Brothers." Also out now is "Aliens in the Attic." I'd label it a family comedy judging by the trailer, but I can't be sure since nobody has seen it yet.

Here's my prediction for this week's top five at the box office:

1. Funny People
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
3. G-Force
4. The Ugly Truth
5. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Funny People
The title of the film tips you off that you should settle in for a riotous comedy. And for the most part, that's exactly what it delivers. After all, it is a story about comedians trying to hone their craft -- sometimes hilariously and sometimes painfully -- in comedy clubs night after night. But the movie is also about relationships between friends, between ex-lovers, and between a dying man and the one person he can count on...

Yeah, it doesn't sound too funny when I put that way. Not to fear, read on.

A former stand-up comic (Sandler) who went on to become an enormously successful movie star learns that he has a virtually untreatable terminal disease. He realizes that in spite of his fame and money, he doesn't have any friends or family to lean on. So he finds an aspiring comic to be his "assistant" (played by Seth Rogen) that will help him write jokes (and clean up his affairs) on his final stand-up tour. Rogen learns that Sandler still regrets driving away the love of his life (played by Apatow's real-life spouse, Leslie Mann). This is where the film changes emotional gears for the prolonged final act of the movie, which left some critics feeling a little dismayed.

"If only they hadn't left Los Angeles, where everything in 'Funny People' was going so well, and driven north to Marin County, where everything falls apart, Judd Apatow would have had his most mature, accomplished film to date," writes Christy Lemire of the Associated Press. "Instead, the last hour or so meanders interminably, its tone wavering all over the place, leading to a quickie conclusion that feels pat." Roger Moore from the Orlando Sentinel declares that this film is "meant to be [Apatow's] 'big statement.' But '40-Year Old Virgin' was funnier and deeper."

In spite of the film's daunting two-and-a-half-hour length, I agree more with Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times: "The thing about 'Funny People' is that it's a real movie. That means carefully written dialogue and carefully placed supporting performances -- and it's about something. It could have easily been a formula film, and the trailer shamelessly tries to misrepresent it as one, but [Sandler's] George Simmons learns and changes during his ordeal, and we empathize."

I particularly enjoyed Sandler's performance as a more cynical, "bizarro" version of himself had he made some different choices in his career. In real life Sandler has a wife and two kids, and he has always been very congenial and friendly when I've encountered him. The other standout is Eric Bana, who catches you off-guard by appearing in a comedy (even though he started as a comedian) and by using his native Australian accent, since Hollywood has always insisted he portray Americans.

Aliens in the Attic
This appears to be a light-hearted, silly summer alien movie appropriate for all ages, but considering that no one's been invited to see this film ahead of time and the film's most bankable star, Ashley Tisdale of "High School Musical" fame, has been reluctant to do any press, it's a tough one to recommend. So if you have already taken the kids to see "Harry Potter," "G-Force," "Ice Age," and "Up," and they really want to see something new at the movies, you might consider this one.

Also in theaters nationwide this weekend is "The Collector," a horror flick about a thief who breaks into a country home only to find a masked murderer has already claimed the property as his own. It's from the writers of the most recent "Saw" movies, and looks to have a similar gritty style and array of deadly traps. There won't be any other big horror movies until the end of August brings us "The Final Destination" and "Halloween II," so if you're desperate for a fright it might be your only option.

A slew of films are out in limited release this weekend, including the Jury Prize winner at this year's Cannes Festival, "Thirst." From Korean director Park Chan-wook, the man behind other intense cult favorites like "Old Boy," it is about a priest who transforms into a vampire after a failed medical experiment. He is then plunged into a world of unknown sensual pleasures. Another indie film highlight is "The Cove," which documents a group of animal activists who uncover the horrors of a secret dolphin hunting ground off a small Japanese village. It won the Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival for Best Documentary.