This is 40

Judd Apatow is so synonymous with successful comedy that his attachment to a project usually means a fair amount of hype. But if one were to exclusively look at his directing filmography and didn’t include his massive producer credits, the impression wouldn’t be so high. His latest, This is 40 brings back Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, who reprise their roles from the much funnier Knocked Up, as they deal with the trials and tribulations of turning 40. But a clearer description would be that a relatively vain wife and mother complains for two and a half hours, while her husband lies to her out of fear she’ll yell at him some more. Now surround those two with a cast of other unlikeable characters and you have This is 40.

It’s a pretty strange trend Apatow has been following lately. His last three directed feature films, This is 40, Funny People and Knocked Up are dense dramedies, where the comedy is outweighed by the drama. That’s fine, but eventually audiences are going to realize that this supposed comedic genius only directs downers. I know I have. Plus, the movie is so long that it’s a wonder that this script was green lit. How many rounds of arguing and eventual forgiving does the audience need before they get the point?

Rudd is an established nice guy of comedy, so the audience is conditioned to take his side in a pretty middle of the road performance. Mann’s character is so miserable to watch that it’s hard to root for her. I guess that means she gives an adequate performance, assuming she’s more likeable in real life. Chris O’Dowd and Jason Segel, who play two bit roles, provide probably the funniest exchange in the film when they both attempt to woo Megan Fox’s character. So, why aren’t they in the movie more? It’s really an odd film.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.