Title: This Is 40<\/p>\n
Directed By: Judd Apatow<\/p>\n
Starring: Leslie Mann, Paul Rudd, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Megan Fox, Robert Smigel, Annie Mumolo, Jason Segel, Charlyne Yi, Chris O\u2019Dowd, Albert Brooks, John Lithgow<\/B><\/p>\n
Apparently dull jokes, a bloated running time and a lack of proper pacing can be somewhat remedied by a charmingly honest representation of a dysfunctional family.<\/p>\n
Debbie (Leslie Mann) is turning 40 and she isn\u2019t happy about it. The easy fix? Have your husband top your birthday cake with a 3 and an 8 candle, give your doctor a later birth year and call it a day. However, even with her age issue out of the way, Debbie is still plagued by a number of other predicaments. She\u2019s afraid her relationship with her husband, Pete (Paul Rudd), is losing steam, her children are consumed by their iEverythings, Pete\u2019s record label hit a rough patch, someone is stealing from her clothing store and, despite their situation, Pete\u2019s father is still mooching off their finances. It ain\u2019t easy being 40.<\/p>\n
That synopsis reveals one of \u201cThis Is 40\u2019s\u201d biggest problems – it doesn\u2019t really have a through line. Rather than have a clear problem to solve or a finish line to reach, Debbie and Pete encounter dozens of little issues that are sloppily stitched together by the fact that they\u2019re both turning 40. Some of these subsections are quite amusing, but overall, at a running time of 134 minutes, the lack of a build makes patience fade fast.<\/p>\n
The film is at its best at the start. Debbie and Pete made for a charming pair in \u201cKnocked Up\u201d and the same is true here. It\u2019s fun to see how far they\u2019ve come, how much their kids have grown and the somewhat trivial things they\u2019re bickering over. However, shortly after, \u201cThis Is 40\u201d starts to feel repetitive. Pete bikes, Debbie smokes, Pete eats a cupcake, Debbie tells Sadie (Maude Apatow) to stop watching \u201cLost,\u201d Pete\u2019s dad asks for money, Debbie tells Sadie to stop being mean to her sister. Some of the scenarios do have nice payoffs, but others function more as descriptive elements and don\u2019t push the narrative forward.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, this unusual structuring also winds up being one of the film\u2019s major assets. \u201cThis Is 40\u201d really makes you feel like you\u2019re part of the family. Pete and Debbie do behave irrationally at times, but generally, the family feels real and is exceptionally easy to relate to. We all have that loved one in our lives with a habit that isn\u2019t all that bad, but irks us to no end. Who hasn\u2019t struggled with job issues and finance troubles? And nowadays, who doesn\u2019t need<\/I> the Internet? The film delivers ups and downs at an erratic pace, but that\u2019s how they come in real so, in turn, Pete and Debbie\u2019s life feels real.<\/p>\n
And, of course, both Rudd and Mann deserve some credit for facilitating that, too. Apatow seems to have lost his sense of proper pacing and satisfying scene transitions, but Rudd and Mann\u2019s chemistry and comedic timing gives the film enough of a pulse to keep it enjoyable. Maude and Iris Apatow both have a little ways to go, but certainly prove that they\u2019ve got some acting chops to work with. <\/p>\n
Megan Fox puts on a surprisingly engaging performance as an employee at Debbie\u2019s store. The whole sub-story about the mystery employee stealing thousands of dollars ultimately amounts to nothing, but Fox does hold her ground, managing to shed a great deal of light on Mann\u2019s character. Also surprisingly, Jason Segel has the opposite effect as Debbie\u2019s trainer, Jason. None of his bits are funny and the large majority are quite offensive.<\/p>\n
Albert Brooks and John Lithgow have their moments as Pete and Debbie\u2019s fathers respectively, but their relationships are so underdeveloped, the film might have been better off without them entirely. Brooks\u2019 Larry isn\u2019t all that likable, so it\u2019s tough to understand why Pete feels guilty enough to hand over the little bit of hard-earned cash. As for Lithgow, his character\u2019s reason for being there at all is just absolutely preposterous. Debbie hasn\u2019t seen him in seven years and all of a sudden they decided to have lunch date?<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Is 40\u201d is just not one of Apatow\u2019s best. It\u2019s unnecessarily long, drags along at an awkward pace, has a number of scenes that suggest he wanted his kids in the film more than it truly warranted, and is loaded with scenes that come to an abrupt halt only to give way to distractingly unnatural transitions. However, oddly enough, \u201cThis Is 40\u201d isn\u2019t a total disaster. In fact, it\u2019s far from it. With all its shortcomings, rock solid performances and endearing characters turn out to be just enough to keep you on board. You may not be totally engaged from beginning to end, but when this film hits DVD and VOD, it\u2019ll be prime for repeat viewings. Enjoy the highs, indulge in your wireless Internet during the boring, unfunny and\/or unnecessary parts, and then tune back in when you\u2019re ready for more.<\/p>\n
Technical: B<\/p>\n
Acting: B+<\/p>\n
Story: B-<\/p>\n
Overall: B<\/B><\/p>\n
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