Film Weekly

Middle-aged hilarity!

January 23 - 29, 2013
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Gulf Weekly Middle-aged hilarity!


I was one of very few people that enjoyed the 2007 comedy Knocked Up so much, I bought it on DVD just to make my lazy weekends a little brighter.

So, it comes as no surprise that when I heard director Judd Apatow was going to direct a follow-up film, I counted down the days until the release.

Apatow, 45, hits close to home in This is 40, giving a light-hearted, hilarious and surprisingly realistic take on a couple hitting a mid-life crisis … if this is 40 – shoot me now!

Like Knocked Up, the film is practically always on point with its insights, though it may only be appealing to a specific audience.

Having said this, it’s about time someone made a comedy that didn’t focus on high school students throwing wild parties, but instead parents trying to figure out how to deal with their unappreciative kids.

Yes, the movie did drag along by the end and was slow and distracted in its development, relying too much on slapstick comedy or forced one-liners, but overall, it was an enjoyable film with a realistic view of what most parents go through.

There isn’t much of a plot or story to follow this time around, but Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann return to reprise their roles as Pete and Debbie from six years ago. However, now they are in the spotlight rather than just supporting actors.

The audience is introduced to Pete and Debbie’s seemingly perfect life with two beautiful daughters, Maude and Iris, waking up at early hours just to celebrate their mum’s 40th … ahem … 38th birthday.

However, looks can be deceiving and this family is plagued by secrets. Debbie goes off to sneak in an occasional cigarette when she’s stressed, Pete binges on more than his fair share of cupcakes everyday whilst trying to stay healthy, Maude is becoming a ‘woman’ and going through her hormonal and moody years and Iris, well, is just being the ditsy tattletale.

Pete has given up his job at Sony to start an indie music record company and hides the fact that it’s losing money from his family, including father Larry (Albert Brooks) who has borrowed more than $80,000 from Pete to support his new wife and young triplets.

Yet Debbie’s clothing store is booming … until she finds $12,000 missing. Shopkeepers, played by Megan Fox and Charlyne Yi, are the only two who could have done it and end up being victimised by Debbie as insider thieves.

To get away from it all, Pete and Debbie decide to go away for a romantic weekend without the children. When they return from the trip everything spirals out of control with Debbie getting into an argument with a 13-year-old ‘Tom Petty’ lookalike and Pete ending up in hospital after getting into a fight on the street.

Yet the family soldier through it all and, over the course of a shared birthday week, they learn that they must accept their lives and appreciate what they have.

The idea of using Apatow’s real life wife as Debbie and their two daughters playing Maude and Iris, it’s clear This Is 40 is focusing on his family, with Rudd substituting Judd – and that’s why all the cracks in this relationship are almost spot on and familiar.

The use of cameos throughout the movie also placed the best comedic elements, including Jason Segel as the womaniser, Chris O’Dowd and Lena Dunham as the geeky employees of the record store, Melissa McCarthy as ‘Tom Petty’s’ mum, Green Day’s front man Billie Joe Armstrong, who proves comedy isn’t for everyone, and Jon Lithgow as Debbie’s biological father.

 Although the movie is only 134 minutes long, Apatow finds room to wedge in several subplots which added a backbone to the movie.

There were no life lessons to ponder but rather a clichéd ‘family sticks together’ message. However, the movie will surely be a success with its target audience who are able to relate with family, business and even marital issues.

However, for everyone else … there isn’t much to leave you wanting more.

*Showing in Cineco, Seef I, Saar Cineplex and Al Jazeera Cineplex







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