Review of This Is 40 (2012) by Allan C — 02 Nov 2013
Like writer/director Judd Apatow's three previous films ("40 Year Old Virgin," "Knocked Up" and ""Funny People") this film gets some terrific laughs by staying focused on characters rather than plot.
The very likable Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd play the same couple from "Knocked Up," now entering their 40s and all that those life changes entail. Being someone who is also just entering their 40s with a family, the film was endearingly close to my experience.
Rudd is clearly a stand-in for Apatow, who is in real life married to Mann with two girls, who actually play the two daughters in this film, and I'm guessing it's that level of reality and truth that makes thin film so relatable (good, bad and otherwise), which makes it immensely enjoyable.
Besides Rudd and Mann's family, there is also an amazing supporting cast that includes Jason Segel, Robert Smigel, John Lithgow and the always brilliant Albert Brooks as Rudd's freeloader dad.
I'm certainly the target demographic for this film, so I know it worked for me. I have no idea how it would play for people outside my age group.
This review of This Is 40 (2012) was written by Allan C on 02 Nov 2013.
This Is 40 has generally received mixed reviews.
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