Thursday, January 3, 2013

No Judd Apatow Fatigue with This is 40

At some point, Judd Apatow fatigue has GOT to set in. His list (see below) of producer, director, and writer credits arguably make him among the very top comedy minds ... not just of this era, but of all time.

The fatigue hasn't set in yet with This is 40 (and it's not likely to in 2013, with Anchorman 2 on the way and almost guaranteed to be a smash).

Picking up where they left off in 2007's Knocked Up, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann's characters continue as the happily married couple with typical mid-life issues.

His production of Graham Parker's album isn't going so well and her clothes shop has its own struggles. There are moments when This is 40 could be funnier, and it's certainly a little too long, but this is highly watchable entertainment.

Rudd and Parker are both impossible not to love. (Parker, whose 1982 song "Temporary Beauty," unfortunately not included in the soundtrack, is one of my all-time favorites. It's an MTV classic that is better than anything Elvis Costello ever did.)

With a slew of cameos, the best ones are Melissa McCarthy, Megan Fox, AlbertBrooks, John Lithgow, and Jason Segel.

***1/2 out of ***** stars

(The following list of Apatow's movies doesn't even count TV shows he's been involved with such as Freaks and Geeks, The Ben Stiller Show, and Girls.)
YearFilm
DirectorProducerWriterActor
1992Crossing the BridgeNoYesNoNo
1995HeavyweightsNoYesYesYes
1996Celtic PrideNoYesYesNo
The Cable GuyNoYesYesNo
2004Anchorman: The Legend of Ron BurgundyNoYesNoYes
Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost MovieNoYesNoYes
2005Kicking & ScreamingNoYesNoNo
The 40-Year-Old VirginYesYesYesNo
Fun with Dick and JaneNoYesYesNo
2006The TV SetNoYesNoNo
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky BobbyNoYesNoNo
2007Knocked UpYesYesYesNo
SuperbadNoYesNoNo
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox StoryNoYesYesNo
2008Drillbit TaylorNoYesNoNo
Forgetting Sarah MarshallNoYesNoNo
You Don't Mess with the ZohanNoNoYesNo
Step BrothersNoYesNoNo
Pineapple ExpressNoYesNoNo
2009Year OneNoYesNoNo
Funny PeopleYesYesYesNo
2010Get Him to the GreekNoYesNoNo
2011BridesmaidsNoYesNoNo
ZookeeperNoNoNoYes
2012WanderlustNoYesNoNo
The Five-Year EngagementNoYesNoNo
Mansome[62]NoNoNoYes
This Is 40YesYesYesNo
2013Can a Song Save Your Life?[63]NoYesNoNo
Anchorman 2[64]NoYesNoNo


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