This is 40 - Judd Apatow, 2012

When you reach 40, it would appear that you look through a different window when viewing the world. The smallest thing could turn into the greatest disaster; the kids turn into the devil, and the roads are full of brainless killers.

In This is 40, this outlook has finally dawned upon Debbie (Leslie Mann) and Pete (Paul Rudd), the former of whom finds this new found cynicism to be slightly more troubling. Thus, they are largely Debbie’s fears, as she enters yet another decade of life, which are exploited freely throughout this film, to different levels of comic effect. There are plenty of creative moments that play on her anxiety, the highlight being a birthday cake that displays the number 38 to hide her real age.

If Pete seems to enter this new age with ease and comfort, it is probably because he has not aged throughout the five years since the film’s quasi-prequel, Knocked Up. A lot of This is 40’s gags come from his childishly stubborn ways. Apatow chooses this to display the couple’s many differences in taste, their way of thinking and way of relating to others, However interesting the subject matter, though, the way everything plays out staggers the film’s sincerity and believability, its stand that this should be an age to reconsider your values and a topic. Leslie Mann’s candy-coated, stretched sentences seem to be delivered with little honesty, making the dialogue sound like a rehearsal that has been done too many times. Paul Rudd, meanwhile, might suit his role as the stubborn but suppressed husband, but some of Pete’s actions are rather exaggerated. A lot of the comic situations sometimes run dry rather than hit their mark. Instead, its key highlights come in the form of various cameos, with Megan Fox (surprisingly) nailing her role as the sensual shop assistant Desi, and Melissa McCarthy’s foul-mouthed mother, who seizes the screen at her entrance, marking a totally different level of comedy acting, in contrast to This is 40’s lead actors.

Nevertheless, by the end of its run-time the film feels really stretched and aimless. When you can sense that the audience want it all to finish, they are invited to yet another sequence of self-indulgent, awkward comedy. This is 40 is, essentially, a sitcom trying to play out in serious cinematic fashion, and this combination of traits rarely fits together harmoniously.

Dir. Judd Apatow
Starring: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow

Originally published on Concrete UEA 05/03/2013