This is 40 Reviews

This is 40 was not as funny as I was hoping it would be. I did laugh at a couple spots, but mostly is was just OK for me. It is still fun and Mann and Rudd are still one of my favorite on-screen married couples. It stays true to how relationships grow and get distant. Life changes fast and sometimes those changes can completely side swipe you. Pete deals with the stress of trying to keep a family together through financial crisis and feeling obligated to his father and trying to keep the peace is obviously hard for Pete. Soon all of that blows up in his face and he has to face the reality of it all and try to fix things. Debbie is an emotional mess. She feels like her age is defying her and it is hard for to accept getting older. Then the news of new life really brings her emotional rollercoaster on some extreme highs. The children really don't make it easy for her either. The teenager is going through changes and just wants to be left alone with her devices and her obsession with the show Lost. The youngest is stressed by all the fighting and wishes things would go back to way it was. She misses her changing older sister playing with her and is kinda sad. I found the youngest to be pretty funny in this movie. I would watch this again.

This is 40 is a wildly inconsistent comedy with moments of biting sincerity when it comes to marriage, but it also over-indulges in typical Apatow fashion. His movies can always use a ruthless editor to get rid of the unnecessary scenes that bog down the quality and pace of his films. Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann give solid performances as the couple falling apart, but the script and screenplay shorthand them with a tidy ending that doesn't do justice to some of the great insights of the film. Some of the side characters can get incredibly tedious and annoying though, especially Albert Brooks as Rudd's useless father. Apatow's actual children play the children in the film as well and they are incredibly hard to put up after a while and not very good. There's times when this film feels more like a series sketches put together than a coherent film and that's one of the biggest problems. I found about half the material pretty funny and even smart, but the other half is a chaotic mess. I know Apatow has some great ideas, but he needs to let go of the lesser ones and learn to reign in his films. He's too lackadaisical of a director and has potential to be much more.

This is a very tricky film to review, because like most critics I am split between an utter obsessive love for most of the film, and a disconnect with what it is at its worst. At its best this film is about getting older, family life, sex, awkwardness, the dilemma of being in an unhappy marriage, and money troubles. Of the four Judd Apatow helmed films that he's directed there hasn't been one so focused on the day to day experiences of an average family or the support of an extensive family. We saw a wisp of that in "Knocked Up" this film's predecessor, but that was more about becoming an adult and experiencing life as a parent, even if it's an unconventional life at that. This is more about the misery and trite exchanges between too very flawed and caustic individuals. Their misery does bring down the audience, since their toxic relationship issues involve so much fighting, yelling, and a lack of understanding for their misadjusted kids. This family is so familiar and yet alien to me, and though I appreciate Apatow for bringing the struggles of the middle aged in better focus for those who believe it's a wedding day and the rest of your life on a platter, it's so tragically sad. That being said, it's immensely funny, from the very first scene to the breakdown of their ability to stomach one another, it's always trying to be eccentric and neurotic, which I appreciated. The supporting performances from Megan Fox, Lena Dunham, Chris O'Dowd, Melissa McCarthy, and Maude and Iris Apatow were amazing and some of their best work so far. Besides the tragic tone though, is the fact that there's no discernible plot to this. They weave between bettering themselves, get lost in something else altogether, ruin themselves with their different endeavors, and then the film simply ends without true resolution. Besides the fact that it has no exact moment of clarity or closure or even answers some basic questions, it feels ungodly long for a comedy film, clocking in at two and a quarter hours. It dragged its feet so much and then speedily ended itself to keep from going even longer, and that simply defeats the purpose entirely. A very good effort, and much more than I expected from a semi-sequel, but it just didn't grab hold of what it was trying to say without it getting garbled.

The Sort-of Sequel to 'Knocked Up'

Good movie! This is a movie you should rent/watch on Netflix. The writing and direction are both good, but you need to pace yourself, take breaks, come back later after getting some air, because 2.5 hours is to long for a movie like this. This is 40 is one of those movies that you either get or don't get, there is no middle ground. Those who don't get will find it quite boring, irritating and too long, while those who do get it will enjoy saying that happens to me to. And this is the main point of this movie, nobody talks about personal problems in their lives to all the people around them and now we have the opportunity to look into a life of another couple and say we are so similar, identify with their problems and solutions with the ultimately satisfying experience that we are not alone and that the same stuff happens to most people, but they don't talk about it openly. One final note that I cannot avoid is the social critique of the couple featured in this movie. They are both rich, own their own businesses and a big house with enough money to indulge in risky financial moves, and from my perspective they act as two spoiled, adolescent brats without any regard for the future or their children. A true example of the new spoiled and overindulged middle class that somehow miraculously formed in the US. Take an average couple without money and give them a tenth of these guys have and they will be happy for the rest of their lives. But then again, these families exist and their problems are real for them, so its just all a matter of perspective.

three stars!

This is well worth seeing, it is consistently funny because it makes me laugh heaps. However if you're looking for a meaningful plot that gets neatly wrapped up, that's not gonna happen. Like porn, the plot was just there as an excuse for the many 'money shot' - the consistently funny gags about typical 40ish couple's lives.
Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann are excellent in their performances as the married couple, they returned to their characters since 2007's Knocked Up from supporting roles into leading roles. There are too many threads and nuances to discuss a good sample - but to mention just a few of the more hilarious and intriguing elements - John Lithgow is brilliant, and in a subdued and likable role we haven't seen from him before; Megan Fox and Charlyne Yi as the two surreal shop clerks are hilarious; Melissa McCarthy is raunchy and so funny and she will leave you gasping for air.
A special mention for actress Leslie Mann and director Judd Apatow's kids - they actually can act, and they were excellent in this film. They belonged in the film but because they added big-time in both the many comedy scenes they were in, but also in the movie's scattered drama moments. Very adorable kids, who blended into this movie effortlessly and definitely added to its charm.

Judd Apatow, creator of awkward teen (and ackward adult) movies, has made what might possibly be his most autobiographical statement with "This Is 40", an incredibly dark comedy about married life at 40. It hits particularly close to home as the director uses his own wife and children as the leading characters in the movie. Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann play the couple (reprising their roles from "Knocked Up"), living their lives together just on the edge of acrimony. "Do you ever fantasize about you and your wife parting ways in a more 'permanent' way?" begins Pete (Rudd) and Barry's (Smigel) conversation. "Nothing painful, I mean, she's the mother of your children, just a peaceful slipping away...", it's misery cloaked in humor, but misery none the less. For Pete and Debbie (Leslie Mann), marriage has become a series of duties and obligations, to their kids, their parents, their jobs, their health, but their relationship is omitted from the list of things they focus on, and so it flounders in a sea of repression and quiet resentment. Granted, this is played for laughs, but the bitterness behind those laughs is palpable. It doesn't help that everyone in the household is tuned into their ipads at the expense of, you know, actual familial interaction. The oldest daughter can't even fathom life unplugged from the matrix, as the parents try to break her world wide web addiction cold turkey at one point.

Much in the vein of the tv show "Louie", This Is 40 is dark and bitter, and yet blisteringly hilarious. Perhaps, not so relatable to teens or those who've yet to experience these particular kinds of wedded bliss, but it's still a remarkably accurate satire of modern life and all it's ugliness. And while it's great at pointing out our faults, This Is 40 doesn't offer any solutions, even if it does wrap things up conveniently in the end. There is very little light at the end of this tunnel, so tread carefully.

The thing about Judd Apatow movies is that they're always twenty minutes too long. The last fight scene at the party drags on, and nothing really gets resolved. A static dramatic arc isn't necessarily a problem, but it just seems like sound and fury signifying nothing. The other thing about Judd Apatow movies is that the woman - no matter how beautiful and charming, as Leslie Mann is - is always a bit of a bitch-on-wheels. She's all demanding and naggy and in denial of her bad arguing habits, and although Deb DOES trump all the men in her life by saying she's the only who has balls, none of the men do anything particularly vilifying. Pete makes some mistakes with money, but he is genuinely bend-over-backward sweet. Her two fathers DO cause abandonment and financial issues, but I don't think I should mention them because Deb herself wants to stop blaming her parents.

The vacation sequence is wonderful - Pete and Deb reliving their stoned, pre-parent days, and realizing that if they just remember this moment, they don't need to fight. The scene in the principal's office with a belligerent Melissa McCarthy accusing them of harrassing her kid (which they did do) and they both baldly deny any wrongdoing on their part is a great show of loyalty despite them being in the midst of a fight. I also rather dig Megan Fox. She has no shame or pretension. She has no problem playing up her maneater persona. (She was also rather funny and coy on "Wedding Band.")

Some of the jokes stick but the lack of even a basic plot makes this a very muddled experience. Full review later.

Enjoyed this. It's not funny all the way through, but there are enough laughs and some more serious parts, too. The "build a fort" line particularly made me laugh, as it rings so true to the different generations - the horror of today's teen being told to go build a fort! "What would I do in there?".
I liked Knocked Up, but I don't really think you can compare the two movies as they are dealing with a different stage of life (though this does go full circle by the end, won't say any more than that!). Pete and Debbie were a couple I always liked and I'm skating close to 40 myself, so I found a lot of this quite relatable. Some of it is over the top for laughs, and that's fine. All are really good here and well cast. I would say it is as good as Judd's previous and I look forward to owning this one on blu ray!

Judd Apatow's familiar blend of adult-based humor and real-life dilemma and revelations sparks out chuckles and even laughter in this film. Though the film may have apparent run-ons, it is bonded together by the endless chemistry of its cast. 3.5/5

A hilarious film full of laughs and pathos. No, its not up to par with some of Apatow's other films, but Rudd and Mann are a convincing couple, complete with the jokes, pains, and despair of parenting. The entire supporting cast is as funny as ever too, with Segal and O'Dowd providing a lot of the laughs away from the leading actors. Albert Brooks, too, was a great addition to the cast. Increasingly enticing if not a little long, 'This is 40' is one of the most brutally honest comedies of the year.

I felt as if this movie was one big giant wave that went up and down and up and down. It had its bright spots, but it also had many dry spots. With many ups and downs over a 135 min. movie I can see why many critics don't think highly of it. However, I liked it and it is a movie I would probably see again.

In all actuality, I would have rather sat through "Knocked Up" again, then this sort-of sequel to "Knocked Up". Directed by Judd Apatow and starring Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann (Apatow's wife) and their two young daughters, "This Is 40" documents Pete and Debbie (the married couple from "Knocked Up") a few years after "Knocked Up". But that short synopsis is sort of misleading since this is not so much a narrative as it is a scattering of thoughts within a film that is in dire need of some editing. And even though Apatow is infamous for adding a 4th act and making his films about 30 minutes too long, "This Is 40" is the first of these films which had me checking my watch multiple times...and therein lies the problem. I am not saying that Apatow's writing is hindered by his need to go off on his classically overlong comedic tangents every other scene. The problem here is that most of these comedic tangents aren't funny, in turn bogging the film down into the meandering wasteland. Suffice to say, this is clearly Apatow's worst film yet.

While I understand that "This Is 40" is the sort-of sequel to "Knocked-Up" (except without Katherine Heigl or Seth Rogan) most of the supporting characters here seem to be a hodgepodge of rehashed ideas from past Apatow hits. You get the weird Asian female side character, the vulgar best friend, a main male character that is kind of a weenie and the female character who is just trying to keep it together. And even though Rudd really tries hard to save this movie by doing his best Paul Rudd impersonation, and Albert Brooks (who plays Pete's mooch of a father) as well as the youngest Apatow have some incredibly funny lines (topped off with even funnier delivery) this will all seem like old hat. Which raises the question: Why would anybody pay $10 to see a watered down version of Apatow's old material?

As for Mann, who finally gets her time to shine (as she is the main focus of the film) her performance is just OK. She has one or two funny lines and gets to do some dramatic crying faces, but overall she is nothing special here.

Final Thought: To say that I didn't much care for "This Is 40" because I'm not 40 and just didn't understand, is a simple cop out which will undoubtedly be used by people who are probably finding it harder and harder to defend Apatow's storytelling. Only about 10% of the jokes here are laugh out loud funny, while 50% don't work at all, and the rest is a 2 1/2 hour film filled with a slathering of chuckle inducing dramedy. Truthfully, most of the time watching "This Is 40" will be spent disparately waiting for the next joke to come; so much so that by the end, this movie will be seen as eerily reminiscent to those failed Farrelly Brothers movies of the early 2000's. In other words, for most people "This Is 40" will be a mostly boring, drawn out, and very unsatisfying disappointment.

Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland

Follow me @moviesmarkus

This film is a complete circle, going from comedy to drama almost constantly, never really finding a midpoint to settle upon. Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd have great chemistry together and I think that is probably the best part of the film. "This is 40" follows characters from the film "Knocked Up" as they reach the age of 40 and get through life's obstacles. It is a sweet story, but poorly written and very cliched. I'm not saying I didn't like the movie, but I would never recommend it. It's actually pretty depressing. This is not a comedy, it's a drama with real-life situations that become funny. Judd Apatow tried a little too hard this time around, and it didn't really pay off.

This movies has its laughs, but accomplishes absolutely nothing in its 2 hours. Apatow used to put effort into his films, but now you can tell he has shifted into cruise control. This film is just an orgy of "funny ideas" thrown together by lazy writers who think they are being funnier than they are. Rudd and O'Dowd are great, but they are also wasted in this mess of comedic writing.

"This is 40" is the sort of a sequel to "Knocked Up". Basically it's by the same director, and is just about the married couple Ben(Paul Rudd) and Debbi(Leslie Mann) from "Knocked Up". They are turning 40 and are dealing with a ton of problems. Sex life is at a stall, they are losing money hand over feet, their daughters are always fighting, and they themselves are always fighting. It's a very honest and real look at marriage, kids, and life in general. This is a comedy, but it's much more dramatic than I expected, which is fine, because it has a great balance to it. At just over two hours long, it is a bit on the long side, and couple probably have been 20 minutes shorter and been fine. Saying that, it's still a very good movie with enough laughs to not get slow or stall out completely. Judd Apatow is a great director for dramadies, and while this isn't as good as "Up" or "40 Year old virgin", it is much better than his last movie "Funny People". One big complaint I have about this, is it didn't feature a cameo or mention of Seth Rogan or Katherine Heigl's characters. Thought we may find out if they made it or something, but nothing, nada. Also, just a little story, my wife and I sat down when we saw a mother and her little daughter walk into the theater and sit down. "Monsters Inc. 3D" was playing in the next theater, so we knew they were in the wrong auditorium, but we decided on to say anything and see what happens. We're evil, I know. Movie starts, and the very first scene is Pete and Debbie having sex in the shower, and 2 seconds later they ran out of the theater. It was pretty awesome. Good movie, just don't bring your kids.

A tad long.

Its characters make questionable decisions to say the least and the way it's constructed is pretty haphazard, but ''This is 40'' is still enjoyable for the most part thanks to the terrific ensemble cast and a number of very funny comedic set pieces.