Review of This Is 40 (2012) by Kelly B — 05 Apr 2014

I really enjoyed this movie, despite all of the yelling in it. I usually associate Judd Apatow with teenage fare and/or what I lazily think of as 'testosterone humor', though he's always been good at it. Maybe that's not quite a big enough canvas to characterize his body of work; but middle-aged characters facing middle-aged issues does not leap mind when I hear his name. It was surprising, and pleasantly so, to find this shift of focus, especially because I felt that he succeeded in blending the comedy and drama of this movie.

The comedy is sharp and deft in my opinion, well sustained not only through character creation and situation, but also through more subtle touches like directorial and editing choices. A very sure hand crafted the comedic aspect of this movie from beginning to end-- nothing was wasted or superfluous, nor overdone, nor drawn too long. There is only so much psychological depth that one can find in any of his movies (again in my opinion); but his characters are realized enough, in this as in other works of his, that the drama rings true and allows for sympathetic engagement.

Anyway, I was entertained pretty much without pause through the whole of it, and have a heightened appreciation for his skills as a filmmaker.