This Is 40 [DVD]

I liked this better than Knocked Up, and I loved Knocked Up. I took my girlfriend to see this because she too loves Knocked Up. I think every time the E channel plays it, she watches it. So I walked into this movie knowing I would at the very least find it funny.I have been a fan of Judd Apatow since I watched Freaks and Geeks when it was on the air. At that time I was in High School with my sister and was able to relate to that show and its characters. This movie is no different and I found it very easy to relate to this couple, minus having kids. All of Judd Apatow's work seems to be very character driven. Some have complained that this movie is just a bunch of characters and no real plot, I disagree. Granted it may not have the typical and conventional structure that most films have with a first, second and third act, but this movie flows well and seamless as one scene segues into another. That makes it very easy to watch and also rewatch as it isn't so typical and usual in that regard. This movie has similar scenes to Knocked Up which I thought was pulled off well without coming off as formulaic. Both have drug induced hotel scenes, a birthday party, kids fighting in a car, a club scene, and unexpected pregnancies. There is also a great fart scene which I found very easy to relate to as my girlfriend also finds it disgusting when I do it in bed.Paul Rudd tends to play the same characters a lot but this is easily my favorite performance of his to date. Leslie Mann also gives her best performance in this movie and also gets naked, but I fear her nude scenes maybe CGI which is to me a new and scary Hollywood trend. At any rate, they play off each other very well, are very real and easy to relate to and most importantly, they are both very funny in This Is 40! All the supporting cast is great too, although underused. John Lithgow gives a believable and great performance as well as Albert Brooks. Lena Dunham and Chris O'Dowd and Jason Segel are underused but great in their roles. Megan Fox is watchable and actually gives a passable performance which I would attribute to Judd Apatow's skill as a director. I was kind of bummed that there wasn't a brief cameo by Seth Rogen or Katherine Heigl, but it didn't really bother me that much.This movie is paced well, doesn't drag, is funny, has meaning and really is just a great movie. Judd Apatow's real life kids play the kids in this movie just as they did in Knocked Up, and also are really great and believable in their parts. If I believed in the whole Oscars bulls#@* I'd say this movie deserves some. It achieved the rare feat of being a comedy with real heart that establishes mood, intent, meaning and purpose. It tells the story of what love is. Everything from family love to the love between a married couple and what it takes to make a marriage work and that marriage actually takes work, as does the love that comes with it. Relationships aren't easy, but they're worth it which this movie does a great job of conveying.I loved the show Lost and oddly there are a lot of references to that show in this movie which surprised me and I loved it.I thought this movie would be funny and good, but I was wrong. It was hysterical and brilliant and great. I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed Knocked Up. I liked The 40 Year Old Virgin, Funny People and I think this is his best film to date. Telling another story about different characters from the world he created with Knocked Up was a great idea and focusing on the most interesting characters from that movie and giving them a movie of their own was a brilliant move and any fan of Judd Apatow should enjoy this movie. I highly recommend this movie and it was a great date movie. Most directors seem to do their best work early in their career and it's great to see that that isn't the case for Judd Apatow. This isn't really a Christmas movie but it does take place around the holiday so it is a fitting time of year to see it. I wonder if this will get turned into a trilogy? Even though I typically hate sequels (Ghostbusters II, worst sequel ever) I think this is best sequel I can think of in recent memory.*UPDATE*There are great special features on this set:* 44 min. NPR interview with Terry gross on Fresh Air* 50 min. making of* 54 min. of awesome deleted scenes and extended scenes.* 8 min. gag reel, hilarious* 36 min. mini doc on Graham Parker and the Rumour as they reunite* A lot more stuff than this even, finally a decent amount of special features for a movie.The picture quality is superb, strong primaries, deep black levels and a warm contrast. I am not a fan of Universal's menu set up, and their discs seem to take forever to load on my PS3, but that could be just my problem.

Goos

A + thank you very much for the package I really appreciate it

There seem to be many mixed reviews. I have been wanting to see this for some time since I heard Judd Apatow do a radio show interview about it. I didn't have terribly high expectations because even though I have never seen "Knocked Up", I have no interest in doing so because crude humor isn't my cup of tea. But I had a feeling that this would resonate with me and resonate it did. After watching the preview where they show the seen of the two men discussing wishing their spouses would just die so they could be widowers, in my weak moments I have also wished the same just for a chance to start fresh with no judgement. But like Rudd I do love my spouse fiercely I just have my moments. I think that is where this film excelled in showing so many of those moments that parents in the same stage of life can relate to. Financial strife, parenting teens, cyber bullying, too much screen time, etc. Many reviewers are discrediting the film because of too much bickering. But just like Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann real couples despite therapy and best intentions are often put in situations where arguing happens, and it takes a lot of retraining and work to get over bad habits. And even though I don't generally watch R rated films and I especially don't approve of explicit sex, you wouldn't do this movie justice without the sex issues. It's raw and gives the characters even more credibility. The bathroom visits were spot on.The only thing I discredit the film for is the Apatow daughters alongside their mother but with a surrogate Dad. The interactions between the girls are authentic but you can feel that the Dad doesn't seem to fit in the family quite as well. For the most part having the girls act with their Mom aided the authenticity of the conflict, occasionally though it seemed like better actresses working as those characters could have done the roles more justice. The Apatow girls aren't the best actresses and the older teen or 11 year old tried to make up for it by swearing. I think a better actress would have been able to play the role better with less swearing. The younger 8 year old messed up on a few of her lines and it wasn't cut and redone it was just left a little sloppy. That to me felt like Mommy and Daddy just gave them a job so it could be a family business when there are others that could've made the film feel more real.All in all this was a needed film for me today, my 40th birthday, to help me feel like my life isn't as bad as it may seem. My marriage isn't perfect, after 20 years we still are trying to figure it out. I'm not a perfect mother, but no one is, we all just do our best. It was fun to watch another family struggle with so many similar issues in a lighthearted way.

Great comedic acting. Total rom com.

The Judd Apatow team were firing on all cylinders on this one, and it’s a comedic achievement for the ages. I laughed so long and so hard at this film that I physically hurt myself; it feels like I tore something in my abdomen. After the outtakes during the credits, I was dead. Leslie Mann probably should have picked up a Golden Globe nomination, and Melissa McCarthy’s comic delivery in this film is pure murder. Paul Rudd has never walked the line between drama and raunchy comedy as well as he does here, and Maude Apatow, as the exasperated older daughter, finds refreshingly authentic notes of an adolescent coming into her grownup sensibilities while at odds with her place within the family dynamic.Not everything in the film is played for laughs. There is frank and difficult interpersonal drama here, and it is handled with a sensitivity and insight that make me think of what an R-rated episode of ‘Once and Again’ might have been like.This a film worth having on Blu-ray. I’m not about to leave it to chance whether one of my streamers has it the next time I want to watch it. It’s one of those movies.

If you are over 40, you can relate to every scene in this movie. Should have bought it as we've seen it now three times.