THIS IS 40 DVD (2013)

SYNOPSIS: From the director of Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin comes an unfiltered, comedic look inside the life of an American family. After years of marriage, Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) are approaching a milestone meltdown. As they try to balance romance, careers, parents and children in their own hilarious ways, they must also figure out how to enjoy the rest of their lives. Featuring Melissa McCarthy, Jason Segel, Megan Fox, John Lithgow and Albert Brooks, This Is 40 is a candid and heartwarming comedy about the challenges and rewards of marriage and parenthood in the modern age.

MOVIE REVIEW:

To really appreciate the Judd Apatow’s latest comedy, This Is 40, you need to be at least 35 and above, married with kids, preferably with mortgage and car loans under your belt and perhaps squabbling parents thrown in for good measure.

Married life is never easy and using his real-life as inspiration, Apatow delivers a hell of a knockout, non-stop funny movie about Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Apatow’s wife, Leslie Mann) and their two daughters (Apatow’s daughters, Maude and Iris Apatow). The gags are fast and raunchy despite it’s a movie about a family with young kids.

The opening scene which involved Pete swallowing Viagra to give his wife a turbo penis on her 40th birthday tells you exactly what to expect for the next 134 minutes. A lot of critics complained it is way too long in fact I thoroughly enjoyed it and compared to Apatow’s previous directorial efforts, this doesn’t feel at all bloated.

There are simply too many comedic moments and the numerous characters appearing including a few Apatow’s regulars such as Jason Segel, Chris O’Dowd and Charlene Yi are hilarious as well. Comedian Albert Brooks (Finding Nemo) appears as Pete’s father who ridiculously continues to pester Pete for money to support his young family. Yet This Is 40 has its serious messages to deliver, Pete is not just facing problems with his father, financially his indie record company is on the brink of collapsing and he has a midlife crisis to deal with as well. Add to the wife’s insistence to lead a healthier life and a problematic 13 year old teenage daughter, the jokes and improvisation are endless.

The only gripe right here is that there are too many happenings on the screen that just took away too much attention away from our two central characters. The bizarre antics of the salesgirls at Debbie’s fashion store, Debbie’s personal trainer, her estranged father who turned up at Pete’s birthday and a brush with a fellow parent are some of the subplots that become short sketches that are never fully developed. But then when you have funny people liked Jason Segel, Melissa McCarthy, Megan Fox in a rare role, and John Lithgow playing those supporting characters, you are not likely to complain much in the end.

The pairing of Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann is simply irresistible and Apatow’s two daughters deserved some credit for their performances as well. Too bad they are too young to watch the finished product. This Is 40 marks one of my favourite comedies for 2013, it has its flaws but with the movie containing so much laughs, that already means a lot to a married man. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Since this is a dialogue heavy movie, the Dolby Digital 5.1 more than suffices in delivering a funny listening experience. Textures are fine, skintones look natural for the visual presentation.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee