This is 40

Contrary to what the trailers and posters may say, this sort of sequel to Knocked Up really isn’t a sequel at all. It hardly feels like a proper spin-off either. At the risk of sounding like Mufasa, Judd Apatow’s latest offering feels like the third film in what could be deemed the director’s “circle of life” trilogy.

If Knocked Up was about the anxiety of giving birth and Funny People was about confronting our fear of death, then This is 40 deals with the unassuming but very present hardships of everyday life. In fact, despite the presence of bankable comedians in the starring roles, an argument could be made that these titles share more in common with cinéma vérité – in which the focus is less on plot and more on people – than they do with traditional comedy.

Sound a bit too pompous for your taste? Oh, screw it. Here’s the deal: This is 40 is very funny. It has two extremely likeable leads to root for, a couple of cameos from the usual suspects that usually crop up in Apatow’s films and it is, of course, laden with dick jokes and swearing so colourful, you could paint a rainbow if you took the time to list all the profanities.

Ostensibly the story of a married couple turning forty, there is actually very little plot to speak of. To be honest, most of the time it feels like all Apatow’s doing is letting the camera roll while he lets his actors converse, bicker, kiss and make up (sometimes not even in that order), but that is by no means a hindrance. If anything, watching these characters simply go through the daily motions without the need to stick to a narrative structure makes them far more relatable, especially to viewers who happen to be forty year old parents.

No doubt, the fact that it’s Apatow’s real life family in front of the camera definitely helps. Paul Rudd is likeable as ever and he’s a worthy stand-in dad/husband for the director, but it’s Leslie Mann who walks away with the film. Usually seen in kooky supporting roles, here she proves her worth as a leading lady whilst also getting to showcase a tender side that we only glimpsed in Funny People, courtesy of her two daughters Maude and Iris – together, the three of them even manage to make dancing to a Nicki Minaj song look adorable.

It’s not all smooth sailing, mind. Some gags feel a bit forced and over-stretched in places purely for the sake of comedy, such as Melissa McCarthy’s endless tirade at a PTA meeting. Meanwhile, Megan Fox’s shop assistant-cum-escort is every bit as superficial and surplus to requirements as she sounds and is here purely on eye candy duties. It’s a shame, especially when we could’ve benefitted from a bit more of Jason Segel, whose character coins the kind of brilliant expression you will hear bachelors quoting for months on end (“I’m gonna Clooney it”).

The end result is a film that will please fans of Apatow’s lewd yet heartfelt comedy, but is also likely to resonate on a more personal level with couples and parents alike. Or, to put it more succinctly, this is good.

4/5