Comedy king Judd Apatow continues his winning streak with this 'kind of ' sequel to Knocked Up.
It has been five years since married couple Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) watched her sister go through a pregnancy crisis. Half a decade on, and the lively couple are facing a crisis of their own.
With their 40th birthdays approaching, middle aged suburbia is causing headaches for both. Stressed Pete can't bring himself to tell his wife about money troubles at his failing record label business, while neurotic Debbie can't deal with entering her fifth decade. As the duo snipe, snap, and dismay at the way their lives have turned out, kids Sadie and Charlotte (played by real-life couple Apatow and Mann's daughters) are caught in the middle and enduring their own growing pains.
This sardonic look at modern life is an enjoyable journey that, despite not having the clear hook of predecessor Knocked Up, will still hit a chord with adults of most ages. Much of its success is down to the comic timing of an understated Rudd and sharp Mann, while some brilliant spontaneity from Bridesmaids' Melissa McCarthy almost steals the show. Perhaps surprisingly, an oft-criticised Megan Fox also shows some amusing bite as an alluring, and pilfering, shop employee.
This is 40 is a Film programme that first aired in 2012 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
