THIS IS 40

Stars: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Albert Brooks, John Lithgow, Chris O’Dowd, Jason Segel, Megan Fox, Charlene Yi, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow and Melissa McCarthy.
Writer/Director: Judd Apatow

Rating: 4/5

Judd Apatow’s first stint in the director’s chair since 2009’s under-appreciated Funny People isn’t quite the classic middle-class American comedy/drama he might have made, but it’s as close as Hollywood has gotten in a long time. With perfect chemistry between stars Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann and lots of funny/sad moments, This is 40 is a winning work from a director who remains the heir apparent to James L. Brooks’ crown as Hollywood’s contemporary feel-good comedy maestro.

The instantly-recognisable idiosyncrasies of an indebted suburban family are captured by Apatow, whose casting of real-life wife Leslie Mann and their two daughters would suggest the personal pressures featured in the film are (or, given Apatow’s A-list paycheque status, once were) drawn from his own existence. So convincing is the family dynamic, all other plotting and support roles begin to seem forced and extraneous. At 134 minutes, the trimming of at least two undernourished support-player subplots would not have done the film any harm at all.

Rudd and Mann play Pete and Debbie, a West-coast couple with two daughters, early-teen ‘Lost’ obsessive Sadie (Maude Apatow) and still-sweet Charlotte (Iris Apatow). Pete runs a retro-themed recording label, their financial hopes pinned on a resurgence in the popularity of Graham Parker and the Rumours (all playing themselves); Debbie oversees a fashion retail outlet, where clerks Jodi (Charlene Yi) and Desi (Megan Fox) may or may not be ripping off lots of cash. Further tensions arise when Pete’s secretive financial support of his deadbeat dad Larry (Albert Brooks) is revealed; Debbie is largely estranged from her snooty surgeon father, Oliver (John Lithgow).

Apatow is most at home at home; the scenes in the kitchen, bedrooms, backyard and, most hilariously, the bathroom of Pete and Debbie’s home are the film’s best. When his script tries to incorporate their broader interactions, it is less successful. The stunt-casting of Jason Segel (as Debbie’s sexed-up personal fitness guru) and Chris O’Dowd (as Pete’s record company offsider) wastes both talents; the bulk of their roles could have been dispensed to the DVD-extras bin. The narrative becomes unwieldy in the third act; a birthday-bbq in which all the characters come together is over-played and awkwardly constructed when compared to the breezy pace employed prior.

Apatow’s heart is clearly in exploring the brutal honesty of life for the modern, married 40-something and in his leads he has found the perfect foils. Mann, American cinema’s most under-utilised screen talent, is wonderful; Rudd, the boyish charm first glimpsed nearly 20 years ago in Amy Heckerling’s Clueless still front-and-centre, is as likable as ever but also shades Pete in a darker, sadder light. The drama between the two is played out with precision; the comedy is sublime (a weed-fuelled weekend away for the two is a laugh riot).

As Hollywood loses its grip upon the 20-something audience, the 13-25 year-old movie-obsessed teens of the 1980s are emerging as Hollywood’s most dedicated audience. Which means This is 40 should be a big hit, but let’s hope not for those reasons alone. It’s a little blue but generally a warm, human comedy, the likes of which used to be de rigueur back in the 70s. Then, Mum and Dad were still the key decision-makers when it came to weekend movie-going. It is good to see this (ie, my) age group being catered for once again.