I'm a little late to the game one this one, but I just caught it on rental. Knocked Up (2007) is a solid flick, and I especially liked the mother-to-be's sister, Debbie (Leslie Mann), and her husband Pete (Paul Rudd). So I was happy to see there was going to be a spinoff that focused on these two characters and their children.
Both Pete and Debbie turn 40 in the same week, yet Debbie refuses to accept it; she insists she is turning 38. They are facing family issues, financial issues, communication issues, and two daughters that do not get along. To make matters worse, they are then hit with an unexpected surprise.
Rudd and Mann were very believable as newly turned 40 year olds with two daughters. They had great chemistry on screen. Their daughters, played by Apatow and Mann's real daughters Maude and Iris, were quite funny too. Especially the older daughter, Maude. She was great as a 'Lost' obsessed teenager. There is also an awesome part featuring Melissa McCarthy that had me rolling. Watch a few seconds into the credits to get even more McCarthy action.
Judd Apatow really redeemed himself with this one. I was not real fond of Funny People (2009), but I quite like his other work. So it was nice to see him back on his game. It was not his best work, but This is 40 is a fun and touching film. I actually liked it more than Knocked Up. If you are looking for a laugh out loud comedy, this is not it, but it is quite funny throughout. Apatow did a fantastic job of messing comedy with a serious subject- a somewhat struggling marriage.
My rating: 7/10
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