This Is 40
2012 · Directed by Judd Apatow
Original language: English
- comedy
The story
Pete and Debbie are both about to turn 40, their kids hate each other, both of their businesses are failing, they're on the verge of losing their house, and their relationship is threatening to fall apart.
What it’s like
Bright, unpolished suburban daylight: sun-washed kitchens, cluttered family rooms, cars idling in driveways, and the handheld, close-in camera of a comedy that prefers to hover over people mid-argument rather than frame them neatly. The palette is warm and ordinary, with the glossy digital sheen of a 2012 studio release and a soundtrack of breezy pop and needle-drop rock that keeps the mood light even when the bills are piling up. The vibe is restless, chatty, and affectionate, the kind of wry domestic comedy that suits a lazy weekend afternoon, a comfort rewatch with someone you live with, or background company while folding laundry. Scenes run long and loose, with improvised overlap and rambling dinner-table talk that circles back to money, marriage, and getting older. Its emotional register is candid rather than sentimental: a married couple in their forties testing whether their love can survive mid-life pressure, with a family around them that is equally exasperated and devoted. Expect frequent crude humor, adult language, sexual talk and jokes, and some drug and drinking gags, but no real violence and little real danger. It is for people who enjoy talky, foul-mouthed, warm-hearted ensemble comedy about adult marriage and parenthood, and who don't mind a meandering runtime.
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