Unflattering “This is 40”
By Skip Sheffield
“This is 40” paints a very unflattering picture of that
milestone.
This is a Judd Apatow production, written and directed by
the creator of the raunchy comedies “40 Year Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up,” “The
Legend of Ron Burgundy” and television’s “The Larry Sanders Show.” Apatow does
not have a delicate sense of humor.
“I like filth,” he has been quoted as saying.
“This is 40” takes place a few years after the characters
Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) appeared as a young married couple in
“Knocked Up.”
Lovely Leslie Mann is Judd Apatow’s wife. Obviously she
understands her husband’s caustic sense of humor. She is a very good sport too,
because Debbie does not relish the prospect of hitting 40, and much of the
humor comes from her insecurity and humiliation.
Pete has already hit the big 4-0, and his sentiment is quite
clear: “(bleep) forty.”
There are some good things about “This is 40.” Pete is a fan
of British singer-songwriter Graham Party, who plays himself in the film. Pete
wants to promote a Parker comeback tour in America . It is for this reason
Pete’s record label is in financial trouble. Even Parker doubts his box office
potential.
Another good thing about “40” is Albert Brooks as Pete’s
dad, who reassures his son the years 40 to 60 are the best of a guy’s life. Yet
another is John Lithgow as Debbie’s dad and luscious Megan Fox as her coworker.
And so it goes. Jason Segal makes a cameo appearance as
Pete’s buddy Jason from “Knocked Up” and Apatow’s friend and collaborator. The
movie just sort of mills around until the inevitable 40th birthday
party. Why it takes 134 minutes to get to this point is a bit of a mystery.
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