Considering its relatively mundane subject matter — Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann ‘s Knocked Up characters, Pete and Debbie, go into mid-life crisis mode when age 40 approaches — there’s a deceptive amount of classic signatures in Judd Apatow ‘s This is 40 . Yes, I’m talking about dick jokes. And boners and nipples and vagina tree rings and whatever it is that Rudd is gazing at through a mirror without his pants on. In other words: Comedy gold! Right? Well, that’ll depend on what kind of Apatow you’re expecting from This is 40 . Suburban married protagonists struggling with parenting and fitness and stuff is much more grounded terrain than Apatow’s biggest hits. Not that it’s a bad thing that Rudd and Mann’s duo seem fairly realistic, considering; they were great foils to Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl in Knocked Up , though This is 40 seems to mostly follow-up on Debbie’s age-insecurity than Pete’s hamstrung powerlessness. We may not see Rogen or Heigl reprise their roles in the “sort-of-sequel,” but Jason Segel returns, joined in the supporting cast by Lena Dunham, Megan Fox, Melissa McCarthy, Albert Brooks, Chris O’Dowd, John Lithgow, Annie Mumolo, the blond kid from Super 8 , and real life Apatow-Mann daughters Iris and Maude. I’m just hoping Debbie goes back to that club with her new boner-iffic bod and gives Craig Robinson what for. Verdict: This is… promising, but not a surefire slam dunk. Fingers crossed. This is 40 hits theaters December 21.
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Trailering Judd Apatow’s This Is 40: Middle Age Comedy Crisis
