THIS IS 40 - hollywood 40 that is

This is 40 is Judd Apatow's new comedic film about aging in our contemporary electronic society. Some pathos, some laughs and some nonsense is propagated. 

Movies like this tend to make me feel inadequate. There are myriad moments that convey reality, albeit in a superficial way, that tend to induce empathy and likewise contempt. I'm scared to get older. It's unfair and frightening especially if you feel you have not succeed at any goal attempted, many times, with naive bliss. Nonetheless, I can relate to Paul Rudd this time round. He plays a goofy father that pursued his musical passion which is currently failing as a business. Leslie Mann plays a working house mom that, like all women in particular, wish not to be aging. It's incredibly easy to see why.

The cast is full of current comedic characters and a number from the previous "sort-of sequel", Knocked Up. Both Albert Brooks and John Lithgow fill their stereotypical antifather roles very well. This is life—not at 40—but always... rife with daddy issues. The odd thing about it is that these people, at 40, look amazing, unlike many at 40, which takes away from accepting the message as a serious comment. Melissa McCarthy makes this apparent at the end with a number of self reflexive jabs. To sum up, there are a few inside jokes that are common throughout and fun, a mass of gratuity and some social issues of note delivered by a host of familiar faces. Overall, I enjoyed the film and would view it again. It is rather overtly coarse in nature so the under 10's should probably be kept at bay.

Recommended Viewing: Knocked Up - Funny People - Wet Hot American Summer

              Bob Scale: The Critic: 6.9   -   The Fan: 7.7

             MetaCritic: 58

 Rotten Tomatoes: 50

                    IMDB: 6.3

WANDERLUST - a lust for the raunch

I have this bizarre desire to go to the theater to see this type of film. I watch the preview, it makes me laugh and I feel an inner penchant to view it with 300 other sycophantic peers. It must be that I want to laugh so badly that I will pay $13 for just the chance of elation because I know full well that 90% of the time all the laughs are in the preview. However, when you view a comedy in the theater with a number of people exuding palpable energy, it is usually more hilarious than it actually is; how many times have you rented or bought a comedy that you thought in the theater was phenomenal and then watched it at home with a friend or two and been really disappointed the second time around? This is quite the marketing scam. 

Only a few surprise's come around now and then. Bridesmaids was one that was totally worthy of not only your laughs but of your respect as well. The year before was The Hangover which was very good and Superbad before that. Last year they tried the The Hangover II which was awful and I know there are plans to make Superbad II and Bridesmaids II to capitalize on the original successes. The Five Year Engagement due shortly is another attempt to immediately capitalize on Bridesmaids.  Most likely these movies will not succeed because what is generally funny is original concepts and to repeat that is to lose most of the good stuff from the original. 

I love to laugh and will continue to see many of the rauch-coms that come out because there is always a chance for it to blow me away. This one, unfortunately, was far from good and made me squirm in my seat multiple times, not due to raunch but due to in-your-face unfunnyness. I have an affinity for Paul Rudd but even he could not save me from this doomed travelogue. A couple lose their way in life and think the hippie life is the only real way to be alive. Much to their discontent they discover that these wonderful hippies are just as full of deceit and lies as anyone else. DUH. Then everyone lives happily ever after. The end... to another failed attempted at comedy with a message.

Recommended Viewing: Bridesmaids - The 40 Year Old Virgin - The Shape Of Things

              Bob Scale: Objective: 5.0   -   Subjective: 5.2

             MetaCritic: 52

 Rotten Tomatoes: 60

                      IMDB: 6.2