[6]

Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd star as two 40-year-olds struggling to balance the demands of their marriage, children, parents, and jobs. This Is 40 is billed as a 'sort of' sequel to Knocked Up, where Mann and Rudd originated the roles. Both films were directed by Judd Apatow, and both take a more pastiche approach to their narratives. On one hand, I like the fly-on-the-wall approach. It favors character over formulaic story structure. On the other hand, without that trusted structure, Apatow's movies just seem to go on forever and ever and ever. This one is two hours and fifteen minutes, and I stand by my rule that no comedy should exceed an hour forty five.

I love Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd. Mann has never been better than she is here — she carries the film and you should see it for her alone. There are also nice supporting performances from Albert Brooks, Melissa McCarthy, and John Lithgow. Apatow’s real life kids, Maude and Iris Apatow, are surprisingly good as Mann and Rudd’s children (Mann is also Apatow’s wife; imagine the position Rudd was in!) I’m a big fan of the cast and I admire the film for tackling the malaise of 40 (especially since I’ll be there myself soon), but Apatow’s schtick works better with younger characters. When he applies it to older characters like these, it starts to feel a little forced. This Is 40 is passable as a light drama, but for a comedy, it comes up lacking in memorable moments.