THIS IS 40
US, 2012, 134 minutes, Colour.
Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Albert Brooks, John Lithgow, Megan Fox, Melissa Mc Carthy, Chris O'Dowd, Jason Segal.
Directed by Judd Apatow.
This is 40 – well, not exactly.
Unless you are a husband and wife who have their 40th birthday in the same week, are comfortably middle class despite business difficulties, who have a 13 year old strong-minded daughter and an 8 year old cheeky daughter, who fight and make-up and who have very difficult relationships with their fathers. But that is Pete and Debbie (Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann who appeared in a sub-plot in Apatow’s Knocked Up and now have their own movie), with their daughters, Sadie and Charlotte (Apatow’s own daughters – Leslie Mann is Apatow’s actual wife).
For audiences between, say, thirty and forty five, who share the comparative comfort of the American dream, and its comparatively comfortable problems and issues, there might be quite some empathy with the characters and the film will offer some kind of mirror – however, distorted.
For audiences around the twenty mark, they may well feel closer (in age and in experience and feelings) to Sadie and her teenage/parental issues as they remember their lives from the perspective of having got through the problems, sometimes with the help of their parents.
For audiences over fifty, Pete and Debbie might seem like characters from the past (or like their own approaching-middle-age children) and will give far more attention to the two fathers and their problems. They are played by two top actors, Albert Brooks as Pete’s father, and John Lithgow as Debbie’s father.
Albert Brooks gives another variation on his hang-dog-looking, bothered character. Actually, he has three very young triplets through in vitro and is trying to deal with being a father at his age while conscious of his health and exercising his ‘Poor Me’ turn as he continually borrows money from Pete.
John Lithgow is the aloof, top surgeon, who also has a family, much older, as he had parted from Debbie’s mother when Debbie was a little girl. She hardly sees her father who is very serious-minded (and does not get jokes).
There are some entertaining cameo roles with some familiar faces: Megan Fox is the attractive shop manager, Jason Segal a body (and soul and spirit) builder, Chris O’ Dowd is Pete’s partner at his record label company and, stealing her scenes, as she did in Bridesmaids, Melissa Mc Carthy as the mother of a boy at Sadie’s school who gets stuck into Debbie and then bursts out into a verbal tirade when the school principal calls her in to discuss with Pete and Debbie. This is so effective that it is shown again during the final credits, with Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann trying to control their laughter.
So, there are various episodes: Pete trying to revive the career of Graham Parker with new record sales and performances, Debbie worried about who might be stealing from the shop. Lots of domestic scenes, some (apt) wariness about the younger generation worshipping the new technology (and dependent on watching all the episodes of Lost). A loving weekend away followed by outbursts and recriminations. And, the party for Pete’s birthday which is a fairly complete disaster – except that it does mellow Debbie’s attitude to Pete’s father and does help Debbie to understand her father and welcome his presence with her children.
This reviewer has been using the phrase ‘The Judd Apatow Syndrome’ to characterize films he has written, directed or produced. They begin with people behaving badly, even reprehensibly, but, as characters are revealed and tested, a rather traditional stance on morality emerges and the film ends on an upbeat note. The same here.
1. All are Jud Apatow comedy? Situations, exploration of characters and situations, resolution? The nature of the humor? Domestic? American? Middle age?
2. Jud Apatow and his films, personal, from standup comic to telling stories, variations on his cell, wife, daughters, home? Drawing on his experiences?
3. Los Angeles, the lifestyle, the suburbs, affluent homes, jobs, schools, clubs, gyms? A world of complacency, affluence, wanting more, complaints…?
4. Debbie and paint, approaching 40, its effect, Debbie and her concern about her body, her june trainer? Pete, his record company, money difficulties, his associate and his help? Hiring Graham Parker, performance? The records? Few sales, and the date? Promotion and failure? The concert? The singing
in himself, and wanting to move on?
5. Debbie, the boutique, the finances, the theft, her associate and her glamour, envy? The truth and coping?
6. The daughters, their age, life at home, the moods, television, watching the episodes of lost, the girls as manipulative? Tantrums? Humor?
7. School, the daughters behavior school, the boy, his mother, the attack, the parents and the verbal attack? The meeting with the principle? The mother and her outspokenness? This scene taken up in the final credits?
8. Pip’s and Debbie and their fathers? One dominating, the other absent? Pete’s father, Jewish background, wife, always asking for money, moaning, critical? The contrast with the Debbie’s father, distant, academic, his new family?
9. Coping with the birth date, the financial difficulties, the arguing with each other, the spa holiday, success and failure?
10. The party, the preparation, the guests, the crises? The father’s being present? Debbie’s father, uptight, yet minding the children, mellowing?
11. Pete, the bike, the accident, go to hospital? The family at the hospital? His father and his almost-apology? Gabi’s father, bonding with the children?
12. The possibility of acceptance, of change, a new pregnancy?
A reflection on the film and its characters and their life-style:
This movie sums up everything that is currently wrong with U.S. culture
Author: wacoastguy from United States
13 February 2013
This movie was actually painful to watch, primarily because of the idiotic lives led by the main characters and their screwed up kids, who by the end of this stupid movie summed up everything that is currently wrong with U.S. culture. The list of how screwed up these people are is long, and I will begin with the adults, so here goes: The adults are insecure with an emotional capacity of teenagers, albeit totally narcissistic and suffering from an over-inflated sense of entitlement, demonstrated by their absolute need to drive $70,000 cars, live in mansions, have every toy on the planet in terms of electronics, bikes, trampolines and clothes, and of course children on top of it. But at the same time these over-medicated people are living so far above their means it isn't even funny, maxing out their credit cards and are heavily in debt. Their diets suck and they are all running to the doctor, specialists and the ER at every turn, at the same time they are facing bankruptcy. The kids are over-indulged, under-disciplined, mouthy brats who have no idea how lucky they are to have such an affluent upbringing, yet are convinced they are somehow not getting all they deserve. The list goes on and on.
