Over the
past couple of decades, Judd Apatow has built quite the resume. His name has
been attached to everything from cult favorite TV shows Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared
to Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,
Bridesmaids and seemingly every other
comedy to come out of Hollywood since 2004. He boosted the careers of such stars
as Seth Rogen, James Franco, Kristen Wiig and indie-breakout-turned-HBO-darling
Lena Dunham. Considering the man’s ubiquity, it’s rather stunning that This Is 40, his latest work, is only his
fourth directorial effort. Coming three years after the cancer comedy Funny People, This is 40 marks a fitting next step in Apatow’s career-long
exploration of sex, love and relationships in modern America.
You might not have guessed it
from this blog, but I’m a huge Apatow fan, at least as far as his directorial
works are concerned. Though I didn’t watch the show when it first aired, I
adore Freaks and Geeks (why, NBC,
why???), which is still the most accurate and relatable portrayal of high
school life I’ve ever seen, and The 40
Year Old Virgin ranks among my all-time favorite comedies. I find Funny People, which received mixed
reviews in part due to its much more serious material, to be supremely
underrated, and even Knocked Up, my
least favorite of the movies he’s directed, was an interesting take on the
centuries-old battle of the sexes trope. This
Is 40 continues Apatow’s tradition of blending raunchy, R-rated humor with
heart. Anchored by two charming performances from Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, it
paints a funny yet frank portrait of that oh-so-fascinating phenomenon known as
the midlife crisis in all its histrionic, messy glory.
Positioned as a
sort-off/not-really sequel to Knocked Up,
the film follows Pete and Debbie, who were supporting characters in the
previous movie, as they both turn 40 and grapple with all the challenges that
age milestone entails. Ostensibly, the entire movie takes place over the course
of a single week, though that requires some suspension of disbelief considering
the sheer amount of stuff that happens. It unfolds in an episodic, laidback
manner that works both for and against the film. On the upside, viewers become fully
immersed viewers into the characters’ lives, and the proceedings have a
down-to-earth, unpretentious aura, as though you’re watching someone’s home
movies. It feels like we’re looking at real people rather than the stock,
generically quirky character types that usually populate these sorts of
comedies. On the downside, though, this meandering approach produces several
subplots that either go nowhere or are insufficiently explored. For instance, a
storyline where Debbie believes one of her employees (played adequately, if
uninterestingly, by Megan Fox – yes, that
Megan Fox) is stealing money from her store starts off intriguingly enough
but ultimately lands with a thud, and her relationship with her father (a
compelling John Lithgow) is largely reduced to one key moment. Furthermore, the
characters’ economic fears might have carried more weight if they didn’t
continue to drive a BMW and Lexus or go on a spontaneous, getaway vacation.
Given the unevenness of these subplots, the movie is at its strongest
when focusing on the familial dynamics at its core. Arguably two of the most
likable comedic actors working today, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann exude a
relaxed, authentic chemistry, creating a relationship that feels unglamorous
and relatable despite the characters’ upper-middle-class lifestyle. They’re unafraid
to bare themselves, both in a physical, comedic sense and in a more figurative,
emotional sense, and their willingness to bring out the ugly, self-centered
sides of their characters is refreshing. Mann in particular stands out. After
years of taking scene-stealing, supporting roles, she finally lands a leading
part here, and all I can say is that it’s about damn time. With her large,
doe-like eyes and distinctively squeaky voice, she seems equally at home expressing
her deep-seated insecurities, fears and disappointments to her family and spewing
profanities at a thirteen year old boy. Her reaction to a pivotal, stunning revelation
about midway through the film is as poignant an acting showcase as anything I’ve
seen this year. As a bonus, she and Rudd both work remarkably well with Maude
and Iris Apatow, who play their children in the movie and are Mann’s and Judd
Apatow’s real-life offspring; the two seem to have inherited their parents’
comedic talents.
What separates Apatow’s own
movies from other modern-day Hollywood comedies is how personal each one of them
feels. Though he seems to be less selective when deciding what movies to
produce, when it comes to directing, Apatow appears to choose his projects with
great care, focusing on stories that really mean something to him. He aims less
to depict the universal than to give audiences a peek into his own life and
experiences. As a result, his movies contain an emotional honesty absent from
even the best and funniest of their imitators, and This Is 40 is no exception. While some people may be turned off by
the increasingly serious nature of Apatow’s work (both this and Funny People are almost more like dramas
with comedic elements than outright comedies), this commitment to material that’s
thoughtful as well as amusing is what elevates his movies above the usual
escapist, disposable fare. Though it never reaches the pure, comedic genius of The 40 Year Old Virgin or the unabashed
intimacy of Funny People, This Is 40 is a worthy addition to the
Judd Apatow oeuvre.
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