A funny movie at times, "This Is 40" attempts to resurrect the family you might remember from the hilarious comedy " Knocked Up" (although it feels like it's own thing separate from that film). It's a little long (like "Funny People") and a bit serious at times when it comes to real-life issues we all face when attempting to raise two children as you head into your 40's. The movie has gotten a lot of negative press due to the financial situation of the couple and how common the first-world problems are with the script, but the characters are likable and the actors really put themselves out there (except for one particular improv session by Charlyne Yi which felt shoe-horned in while her and Mann's character were drinking coffee). Still, if this is what 40 is to Apatow and smelling farts in bed is the worst that your day gets, you've won life compared to multiple other families.
The movie feels like a drawn-out collection of outtakes from "Knocked Up" and even "Funny People" (since Apatow's wife, Leslie Mann, stars as the wife/mother figure in those movies as well). The script is pretty standard: give these well-to-do people some drama over and over and have them work things out in their own way. The kids in the movie are great (they should be; they're Apatow's/Mann's kids in real life), and the monkey-app scene is fast but great trust me. And in typical Apatow fashion, we have a tense scene of a guy running away from life on a bike (similar to "40-Year-Old Virgin"). So this movie feels like a "Best Of Apatow" presentation.
If you're a fan of the typical Apatow players (Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, his kids) and the style of his comedies, you'll see this with my recommendation or not. If this is your first Apatow movie you watch, though, I can see how it might be plenty bland and drawn-out.
The movie feels like a drawn-out collection of outtakes from "Knocked Up" and even "Funny People" (since Apatow's wife, Leslie Mann, stars as the wife/mother figure in those movies as well). The script is pretty standard: give these well-to-do people some drama over and over and have them work things out in their own way. The kids in the movie are great (they should be; they're Apatow's/Mann's kids in real life), and the monkey-app scene is fast but great trust me. And in typical Apatow fashion, we have a tense scene of a guy running away from life on a bike (similar to "40-Year-Old Virgin"). So this movie feels like a "Best Of Apatow" presentation.
If you're a fan of the typical Apatow players (Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, his kids) and the style of his comedies, you'll see this with my recommendation or not. If this is your first Apatow movie you watch, though, I can see how it might be plenty bland and drawn-out.