This Is 40 (2012)
Movie · 2012 · Comedy · 2h 14m · R · English
Curator score: 1.9/10 (312K ratings)
Tagline: The sort-of sequel to 'Knocked Up'
Pete and Debbie are both about to turn 40, their kids hate each other, both of their businesses are failing, they're on the verge of losing their house, and their relationship is threatening to fall apart.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 1.9/10
- IMDb: 6.2/10
- Letterboxd: 2.90/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
- Metacritic: 59
- TMDB: 5.9/10
Director: Judd Apatow
Production: Apatow Productions, Forty Productions, Universal Pictures
Cast: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, John Lithgow, Megan Fox, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Chris O'Dowd, Jason Segel, Melissa McCarthy, Graham Parker, Albert Brooks, Lena Dunham, Annie Mumolo, Robert Smigel, Lo Mutuc, Lisa Darr, Billie Joe Armstrong, Michael Ian Black, Wyatt Russell, Tom Yi
Curator Review
Verdict: A sharp, often very funny hangout comedy about middle-aged marriage, parenting, money stress, and resentment, but it’s also overlong and repetitive. The best scenes are observant and painfully specific; the weakest feel like the movie is circling the same arguments for too long.
Best for: Viewers who like messy relationship comedies with emotional honesty; Fans of Judd Apatow’s improv-heavy, character-first style; People interested in midlife anxiety, parenting chaos, and domestic dysfunction; Audiences who don’t mind a loose, sprawling runtime for strong comic performances
Skip if: You want a tightly plotted comedy with a brisk pace; You’re impatient with self-indulgent runtimes or repeated arguments; You prefer broad, joke-dense comedies over awkward, lived-in realism; You dislike cringe humor built from marital fighting and family tension
Overview: This Is 40 works best as a comedy of accumulated irritation: school drama, money problems, aging bodies, and the quiet terror of realizing your life is not turning out as planned. It has a strong sense of domestic detail, and the cast gives the material enough warmth that the uglier behavior still feels recognizable rather than merely mean.
Worth noting: The movie’s biggest problem is also its defining trait: it keeps going long after the point has been made. Some scenes are hilarious because they feel painfully true, while others feel like the film is repeating the same emotional beat with a different argument attached.
Bottom line: Still, there’s real value in its specificity. If you respond to relationship comedies that are more anxious than romantic, and more observational than neatly structured, this has enough bite and enough tenderness to make it worthwhile despite the bloat.
Top Letterboxd reviews:
- Mojo Hill: This Is 40 Minutes Too Long
- Willow Maclay: Like a cautionary tale for heteronormativity.
- ˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗: tag yourself i'm sadie letting lost take over her whole entire life
- trin: melissa mccarthy blooper scene is enough for me to give it at MINIMUM 3 stars
- davidehrlich: i can only hope my 40s feel this long.
Recommended similar titles:
- The Squid and the Whale (2005 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 21m · R · Curator 7.1/10 (240.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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- Little Miss Sunshine (2006 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 42m · R · Curator 9.1/10 (2.7M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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- The Descendants (2011 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 55m · R · Curator 6.6/10 (394.7K ratings))
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- Marriage Story (2019 · Drama · 2h 17m · R · Curator 8.9/10 (1.8M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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- The Big Sick (2017 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 2h · R · Curator 7.7/10 (410K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads)
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Topics: midlife crisis, marital conflict, parenting, family dysfunction, cringe comedy, domestic realism, money problems, ensemble comedy, 2010s comedy, relationship anxiety
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/movie/this-is-40/89492
This Is 40 (2012)
Movie · 2012 · Comedy · 2h 14m · R · English
Curator score: 1.9/10 (312K ratings)
The sort-of sequel to 'Knocked Up'
Overview Pete and Debbie are both about to turn 40, their kids hate each other, both of their businesses are failing, they're on the verge of losing their house, and their relationship is threatening to fall apart.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.9/10
IMDb: 6.2/10
Letterboxd: 2.90/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
Metacritic: 59
TMDB: 5.9/10
Production Apatow Productions, Forty Productions, Universal Pictures
Cast Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, John Lithgow, Megan Fox, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Chris O'Dowd, Jason Segel, Melissa McCarthy, Graham Parker, Albert Brooks, Lena Dunham, Annie Mumolo, Robert Smigel, Lo Mutuc, Lisa Darr, Billie Joe Armstrong, Michael Ian Black, Wyatt Russell, Tom Yi
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, often very funny hangout comedy about middle-aged marriage, parenting, money stress, and resentment, but it’s also overlong and repetitive. The best scenes are observant and painfully specific; the weakest feel like the movie is circling the same arguments for too long.
Best for
Viewers who like messy relationship comedies with emotional honesty
Fans of Judd Apatow’s improv-heavy, character-first style
People interested in midlife anxiety, parenting chaos, and domestic dysfunction
Audiences who don’t mind a loose, sprawling runtime for strong comic performances
Skip if
You want a tightly plotted comedy with a brisk pace
You’re impatient with self-indulgent runtimes or repeated arguments
You prefer broad, joke-dense comedies over awkward, lived-in realism
You dislike cringe humor built from marital fighting and family tension
Overview
This Is 40 works best as a comedy of accumulated irritation: school drama, money problems, aging bodies, and the quiet terror of realizing your life is not turning out as planned. It has a strong sense of domestic detail, and the cast gives the material enough warmth that the uglier behavior still feels recognizable rather than merely mean.
Worth noting
The movie’s biggest problem is also its defining trait: it keeps going long after the point has been made. Some scenes are hilarious because they feel painfully true, while others feel like the film is repeating the same emotional beat with a different argument attached.
Bottom line
Still, there’s real value in its specificity. If you respond to relationship comedies that are more anxious than romantic, and more observational than neatly structured, this has enough bite and enough tenderness to make it worthwhile despite the bloat.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Mojo Hill (3.5★) · 1700 likes
This Is 40 Minutes Too Long
Willow Maclay · 1279 likes
Like a cautionary tale for heteronormativity.
˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗ (3.5★) · 1106 likes
tag yourself i'm sadie letting lost take over her whole entire life
trin (4.5★) · 866 likes
melissa mccarthy blooper scene is enough for me to give it at MINIMUM 3 stars
davidehrlich (2★) · 850 likes
i can only hope my 40s feel this long.
Recommended similar titles
2005 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 21m · R · Curator 7.1/10 (240.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
A painfully observant family breakdown comedy-drama with the same taste for emotional embarrassment and domestic specificity.
2006 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 42m · R · Curator 9.1/10 (2.7M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Balances family dysfunction, sadness, and humor with a similarly lived-in sense of chaos.
2011 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 55m · R · Curator 6.6/10 (394.7K ratings)
Another midlife crisis story where family strain and practical problems collide with unexpected tenderness.
2019 · Drama · 2h 17m · R · Curator 8.9/10 (1.8M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
For viewers drawn to the raw, funny, painful mechanics of a relationship coming apart.
2007 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 54m · R · Curator 7.1/10 (60.8K ratings)
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2013 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 1h 33m · PG-13 · Curator 8.3/10 (70.5K ratings)
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2007 · Comedy, Romance, Drama · 2h 9m · R · Curator 3.9/10 (672.7K ratings)
Shares the same comic universe of long-form relationship chaos, parenting panic, and emotional immaturity.
2005 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 56m · R · Curator 4.5/10 (1.1M ratings)
A more focused companion piece in tone and sensibility, with similar awkwardness and heart.
2010 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 46m · R · Curator 5.3/10 (213.3K ratings)
For its mix of domestic realism, marital tension, and the complications of modern family life.
2004 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 2h 7m · R · Curator 8.3/10 (393.6K ratings)
A character-driven adult comedy about disappointment, self-sabotage, and emotional drift.
2017 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 2h · R · Curator 7.7/10 (410K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A more graceful relationship comedy that still understands the messiness of adult commitment.
2005 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 1h 43m · PG-13 · Curator 2.0/10 (306.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
For viewers who like holiday-set family friction, ensemble tension, and emotional messiness.
Topics
midlife crisis, marital conflict, parenting, family dysfunction, cringe comedy, domestic realism, money problems, ensemble comedy, 2010s comedy, relationship anxiety
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