[5.50/10] This is 40 (2012)

This is 40 (2012)

Brief review: Judd Apatow's long-anticipated sort-of-sequel to 2007 comedy hit "Knocked Up" is finally a fact, but was it worth the 5-year wait wait? No, definitely not. Unfortunately, the story about a dysfunctional family, whose juvenile members can't deal with each other, is pointless from the beginning to the end, and barely contains any big laughs, due to the witless, egocentric and clumsily-written script, that is supposed to be funny, but it isn't. Sure, the movie has its moments of amusement, and the constant verbal fights between the characters are somewhat entertaining, but truth to be told, "This is 40" is genuinely funny only when it  really get down and dirty, which is hardly a compliment. Worst of all, for a comedy revolving around family dynamics, "This is 40" has no likability factor, no moral, and no heart... at least not a big one. Besides, it's so long and stretched out, at certain points you start to think that it's never going to end, which isn't a good sign for sure. Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann are both charming, and decent actors, and they do an okay job with the immature maretial they have to work with, so it's not their fault that the characters they play behave like 14-year-olds, instead of 40. Also, as terrible as it may sound, the kids in the film are loud, noisy, and downright obnoxious, and that makes them very hard-to-like. Sadly, the film barely possesses any noticeable technical qualities, and Judd Apatow's lazy, uneven direction doesn't help "This is 40" either.

Overall summary: Overlong, annoyingly whiny, often nasty, and pretty much pointless, if still moderately funny and watchable, thanks to its charming leads, Apatow's sort-of-sequel to "Knocked Up", "This is 40" is too aimless and self-indulgent to make you care for its story.