by Jennifer Bay and Kevin Gaussoin, Editors

In 2007 Judd Apatow released his romantic comedy about unexpected pregnancy, Knocked Up. Five years later, he’s back to give us This Is 40, a “sort-of sequel” in that while it features several supporting characters from the first movie, the leads from the first film (Seth Rogan and Katherine Heigl) aren’t in the film at all outside an easter egg photo of them. It’s like… What if in 1980, instead of The Empire Strikes Back, we got a movie without Luke or Leia, but featuring Han and Chewie where they’re getting old and fat and depressed, and they just can’t make the Kessel Run as easily as they used to? I mean, it’s still got a lot of  funny parts, but it’s mostly depressing?

This Is 40 turns its focus on the life of Pete (Paul Rudd – Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, The 40 Year Old Virgin) and Debbie (Leslie Mann – The 40 Year Old Virgin, Rio, ParaNorman) who you’ll remember as Katherine Heigl’s character’s sister and brother-in-law from Knocked Up.

Also returning as Paul and Debbie’s daughters Sadie and Charlotte are Maude and Iris Apatow. At first glance one might hastily exclaim, “Oh! The kids of the writer/director and the lead actress are in this? Nepotism must be nice!” And while I would agree that taking advantage of familial relationships would be a pretty great way of breaking into such a nigh-impenetrable business, both of these kids are excellent actresses and improve every scene they’re in.

So Pete and Debbie are both turning 40 in the same week, and are having multiple money problems. Pete’s record label is losing money and he’s secretly supporting his father (Albert Brooks – Finding Nemo, Drive). Simultaneously, Debbie’s fashion boutique is losing money somehow, and returning character and store clerk Jodi (Charlyne Yi – House, Cloverfield) tells Debbie that their hot new clerk Desi (Megan Fox – Transformers, Jonah Hex) is not only selling the most, she’s also stealing.

I enjoyed the interactions between these two during Knocked Up, which is the kinda-sorta prequel to This is 40.  They had a very real feeling to them – a couple who loved each other, but who had spent so long fighting that they weren’t really sure how to be loving.  Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd are both hilarious actors with great physical comedy and I loved that although they were scripted, they fought and insulted one another in such ridiculous ways that it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if I learned it was improvised.

This movie was a tough one for me.  On one hand, I enjoyed the realism of it – the love, the arguments, the family crises, the financial issues – these two really sell Pete and Deb, upper-middle-class well.  However, a little over an hour in, I was wondering when it would end.  The fighting got old, and I eventually felt like I was simply watching a real couple with some pretty serious communication issues, and it became uncomfortable.  The “funny” insults, the realism of it all…I occasionally found myself squirming in my seat, wishing I could get away, as I often do when two people are fighting right in front of me.  It reminded me of “The Break-Up” with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. Was it a terrible movie? No. Were there some funny moments? Yes.  Was it generally uncomfortable watching something that resonates with most of us in a negative way?  Yes.  This movie was almost two and a half hours long and I wish it had been about half of that – considering that the big holiday movie this season, The Hobbit, is only about a half hour longer and infinitely more awesome, I don’t see an excuse for the length.

The funniest moments, bar none, were those involving Melissa McCarthy (Gilmore Girls, Mike & Molly).  This woman is comedy gold in every role she plays and this character, the mom of a punk kid who harasses Pete and Deb’s oldest girl on Facebook is no exception.  Sadly, the absolute best point of the movie came during the end credits, where they just let her improv an entire scene, flinging abuse at Pete, Deb and the school’s principal. It wasn’t even a part of the film!  There were, of course, a few great moments during the 134-minute running time: Deb and Pete’s blaming “that fucking geek” JJ Abrams for creating Lost and making daughter Sadie all sorts of emotionally crazy, Deb and Pete’s romantic weekend getaway and almost anything with daughters Sadie and Charlotte.

Overall

At the end of the day, it was a so-so film about two 40-year-olds stuck in a rut and trying to figure out how to change everything in their life and arguing about who is more at fault for their current situation, and it just felt sort of deflated and half-assed.  Maybe that’s just me, though – I come to the movie theater to escape mundane reality, not watch something I can see in any Target across America.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives This is 40 3 out of 5 dreaded birthdays

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