Movie Review: "This Is 40"

"This Is 40": B+.  In the winter of 1971-72 I was a twenty-four year old unattached bachelor in my third and final year of teaching sixth grade at Most Holy Trinity School in St. Louis Park. Our new principal was a guy named Terry Fenne, who also served as athletic director and hockey coach. One Saturday afternoon the two of us were riding around in his car, doing various errands for the school's hockey program. One of those errands was to stop at a house of one of the school families to pick up some hockey gear and equipment. This particular Irish family had seven extremely energetic kids, the oldest one being a seventh grader at MHT. As we were heading for the house, Terry asked me if I ever thought about getting married and raising a family. I gave a vague answer to the effect that the notion was not really anything I'd spent much time thinking about. He then said to me, "Well, after our next stop, you will probably be dissuaded from ever having children." He said this with a chuckle, but my curiosity spiked.

Sure enough, when we arrived the kids were running around all over the house, climbing on furniture, sliding down bannisters, laughing, crying, interrupting each other, in general having a wild time. It was chaos like you might see on a TV sitcom. Don't get me wrong, they were also very sweet and cute, and excited that two of the teachers from school were in their living room. But the pandemonium was over the top. Terry and I were only in the house for five minutes, but the experience wore me out. When we got back in the car I said to him, "I see what you mean."

Wednesday I was reminded of that day from forty-one years ago when I saw This Is 40. I am not sure any young single adults would be attracted to this movie, but for those who see it they just might readjust their thinking about what they'd be getting into with marriage and kids. The movie is mostly played for laughs, although there is a fair measure of serious moments. In the very first scene, Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) are showering together but the romanticism quickly ends when Pete confesses that he uses Viagra. Debbie takes that as an insult, apparently reading his usage as a sign that he does not naturally find her "hot." With that the tone is set. Some of the jokes are raunchy, some are lame, but almost all of them are funny. The few people in attendance at the Hopkins Theater, including Momma Cuandito and I, laughed out loud at several points throughout the story, including a hilarious outtake shown during the closing credits. I wish we had seen the movie with more people, as laughter is contagious.

Pete and Debbie own a beautiful California house, complete with backyard swimming pool, which they cannot afford. Pete quit his well-paying job with Sony Music to start his fledgling record label, employing two other people, one of whom is married to Debbie's best friend. The start-up company is losing money big time, as they have attracted only one artist, relative has-been Graham Parker. The records aren't selling and the promotions are flops. Debbie is also a small business owner, with a dress shop employing two other people, including the gorgeous Desi (Megan Fox). Debbie discovers that one of her employees has stolen $12,000. Which one?

Pete tries to hide the financial woes from his wife. His credit cards are maxed out and he has missed a mortgage payment. To make matters worse he has secretly loaned his dead beat father (Albert Brooks) $80,000 over the past two years. Debbie has troubles with her father (John Lithgow) as well. Although he lives nearby, he hasn't seen her in seven years, and does not even know the names of his granddaughters. For a couple which finds the time to conduct several heart-to-heart talks, Pete and Debbie seem to run their lives on two separate paths. Their two daughters add another dynamic to the story. The thirteen year old is a sweetheart one moment, then launches into a tirade the next. When Debbie confronts her daughter's classmate who is a cyber bully, some of the funniest conversations ensue. The boy's mother is played by Melissa McCarthy, and she is absolutely at her comedic best.

Leslie Mann is the wife of the film's director, Judd Apatow. The couple's two daughters, Maude and Iris, are the two youngsters in the movie, which may explain why the tantrums directed at Debbie are so real. Mann and Rudd share an on-screen chemistry which struck me as authentic. The title of the movie suggests that when a person hits age 40, life starts to change for the worse. Smooth times are behind you, and now you have to work harder to remain happy. Pete is okay with hitting that milestone, but Debbie fears it to the point where she shaves a couple of years off her true age. If you are a parent who has 40 in your rear view mirror, this movie will probably bring back some memories, good and bad. On the other hand, if you are younger and childless, the movie could be scary as to what the future portends.