This Is 40 (Movie Review)

Rating:

This Is 40, the sequel to Knocked Up, is an honest, mature effort by its director Judd Apatow to tell an unfiltered, comedic look inside the life of a married couple with kids who are about to hit the “dreaded” 40 years of age. Whether directing or producing, Apatow still carries a reputation for creating comedies, often mixed with raunchiness, that become instant classics. Which is why it is disappointing that This Is 40 is his second film that doesn’t reach superlative heights (the first being Funny People). Between hit-and-miss laughs, an obvious lack of rhythm, and an overlong duration of 2 hours and 15 minutes, the movie never quite gels as a whole.

Honest Intentions, Uneven Execution

The plot has Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann reprising their roles as Pete and Debbie from Knocked Up, a husband and wife both approaching a milestone meltdown. After years of marriage, Pete (Paul Rudd) now has a house full of females: wife Debbie (Leslie Mann) and their two daughters, eight-year-old Charlotte (Iris Apatow) and 13-year-old Sadie (Maude Apatow). As he struggles to keep his record label afloat, he and Debbie must figure out how to forgive, forget, and enjoy the rest of their lives…before they kill each other.

In his fourth directorial outing, Apatow returns to the problems that afflict adults, in particular, marriage. All marriages go through difficulties and drawbacks, but some couples succeed in surviving their stumbles and getting back to their loving ways. That is what emerges here, told in an honest portrait of the challenges and rewards of marriage in 2012.

Marriage Under the Microscope: Apatow’s Adult Themes

What This Is 40 has going for it is its likeable characters, its Apatow-honest dialogue, and its uneasy, tense situations. But despite the charm of its leads, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, the film is hindered by pacing issues. Apatow, whose job as a director is to ensure that the flow from scene to scene never loses its energy or intensity, overextends several scenes to the point of exhaustion. Much of this could be because his wife and kids are in the film, or it could be because he thinks his script is extremely funny and, god forbid, his “hilarious” jokes are cut.

Successful comedies are those that manage to make the best use of the funniest moments within a story in perfect flow. This is usually why the best comedies are 1 hour and 30 minutes long. Apatow gives us a whopping 2 hours and 15 minute duration, betting that every scene, every joke, every situation is rip-roaringly funny. At that length, it’s likely that moviegoers will hit a wall in the middle that will take them out of the flow. Not aiding the pacing are the numerous subplots that sidetrack you from the core of the fragile relationship and home affairs.

Maude Apatow: A Scene-Stealing Bright Spot

The best parts of the movie feature Apatow’s kids, in particular Maude Apatow (Judd and Leslie’s older daughter), who was a scene stealer. Her rants are memorable and laugh-out-loud funny. My guess is she’s going to be a funny and great dramatic actress. She has the chops to do it.

Final Verdict: Blu-Ray Recommendation

As moments and fragments, This Is 40 offers some very good laughs, with some soul, but the whole doesn’t leave a solid impression. In terms of laughter, if you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, Ted, 21 Jump Street, and Silver Linings Playbook do a much better job for your money. This Is 40 is better viewed on Blu-Ray where the price doesn’t burn your pocket.