This is 40

Sorry it's been so long since we've posted anything, but I've been busy & promise to post more & more often in the coming year.

This is 40

By: Nicolette Karter

        Before watching this film, I had high hopes for it. Perhaps too high. I wrote in my December Movie Preview what I thought it would be like based on the trailer. To refresh your memory, here was my prediction:

THIS IS 40 The “sort-of-sequel to Knocked Up” looks hilarious. Paul Rudd & Leslie Mann are both very brave & funny actors, & this seems to be one of those sequels that are just as funny as the original; though that could be because it’s more of a spin-off than a sequel.

        Sadly, I was wrong, and this fell victim to the sequel curse. The opening scene was…odd; the makers may have been trying to go for “honest”, which is fine but it was kind of awkward to watch with other people in the room. Throughout the movie there are what I think are “honest” moments showing their lives, like at the doctors office (which, this might just be because I’m not a fan of the doctors office, but who schedules a bunch of doctors’ visits the week of their duel birthdays?), with the kids, & at work.

        I liked the way they managed to add some humor to the montage of living a busy life, and the guts it must have taken to make these brave scenes. But I don’t need to see Paul Rudd checking himself for hemorrhoids (which, & I’m not sure, but I think only a doctor can check for, & not with a mirror & pictures from Google).

        This movie didn’t suck, & the longer ago I watched it, the more I kind of like it. It did have funny moments, yet it still wasn’t up to par with Knocked Up. It didn’t even mention Ben & Alison (Seth Rogen & Katherine Heigl respectively); let alone a cameo during a birthday party. Oh, speaking of, know that there is a spoiler for Lost around this time in the movie (near the end). And here I thought there was an unspoken code to not talk about the ending of Lost, but whatever. Even though Seth & Katherine weren’t in the movie, there were many other famous (or at least familiar) faces riddled throughout it. Girls’ Lena Dunham (congrats on your Golden Globe wins. I say that like she reads this), John Lithgow, & the gynecologist from the first movie, among others. Plus, Melissa McCarthy was an angry, ranting mom whose son is classmates with one of the couple’s two daughters. She was so funny, & there was a blooper during the credits with her yelling at Pete & Debbie (Rudd & Mann). How comedians keep a straight face while making everyone else bust a gut laughing is beyond me, I just know I don’t want to play poker with them.

        Sadly, despite the funny moments made by funny people, this movie wasn’t as good as it could have been. They tried to make it its own thing (which may be why there was nothing about the original couple from Knocked Up), but they probably initially got the ball rolling on the film just for the sake of making money; this is more than likely why the movie fell in to the “the sequel wasn’t as good as the original” category. I suppose I would recommend this to some people, but it wouldn’t be in my top three recommendations.