This Is 40 (2012) – Review

Review: This Is 40 combines very funny comedy with well-developed characters and strong dramatic moments. The film is about married couple Pete and Debbie. They have been married for about fourteen years and have a seemingly comfortable life, but troubles at work and at home begin to fray their relationship.

Writer-director Judd Apatow is known for his brand of comedy – mixing crude ‘R’ rated jokes, usually derived in an improvisational manner, with heartfelt drama and strong characters. This Is 40 in many ways is the culmination of his style. It has numerous scenes of fantastic comedy and big laughs, ranging from realistic to over-the-top (as jokes are exaggerated for comedic effect), but it all works. And, it also has what is ultimately very realistic feeling drama, focusing on domestic issues that the audience can relate to. Pete and Debbie might as well be real people the audience knows, that is how authentic their drama feels and is presented.

This results in two reactions. Either way viewers will relate to the drama and characters, however for some viewers it will be too much, too realistic and cutting. Cinema is still viewed as an escape, and a mainstream ‘comedy’ like This Is 40 is often viewed as something that should not have material that will bring the audience back into their own lives asking them to relate by looking at the highs and lows in their own relationships – it is supposed to be an escape and just make them laugh. The film is too good a drama in this sense and thus for viewers that just want to laugh it might hit too close to home, as even though Pete and Debbie essentially only have ‘white-people problems’ (and yuppie white people at that) the deeper drama is universal. However, for viewers that enjoy being completely emotionally engaged, the film works quite well showcasing the ups and downs of life and the struggles people go through to make their relationship work.

While Pete and Debbie struggle in their relationship with each other, their kids, and their parents, most of the supporting characters outside their family are there primarily to provide comedy. Apatow has put together a wonderful group of very funny people (like with all his films) and they deliver hilarious material. Viewers who enjoy Apatow’s brand of humor will not be disappointed. This is a very funny film, even with all the drama. Plus, the ending very much makes it a comedy in the classical sense.

Narratively speaking, Apatow’s films have often been criticized for being overly long and over indulgent in the material left in – in other words he is not an economical storyteller, which is an important component of good Hollywood filmmaking. This Is 40 is no different. It really just amounts to a snapshot taken from Pete and Debbie’s life. Yes, there is a deep emotional and dramatic significance to the drama, as they are at a crossroads, but the film does not leave the audience feeling life everything will be happy forever after. There will still be highs and lows, but for now they are okay – in a better place in their relationship than when the film starts. Thus, the film works more as dramatic experience (which also happens to be very funny) than a more straightforward narrative story. The viewer takes in the drama, relates to it, and takes something away from the experience.

This will also have one of two results for the viewer. It will either feel too loose and rambling, as if Apatow merely shot a bunch of footage and then found some semblance of a story in editing but did not want to lose any of the jokes or performances so he over stuffed it. Or, it will resonate with the viewer as a dramatic journey, again showcasing the ups and downs in Pete and Debbie’s relationship(s).

Despite Apatow’s filmmaking style, and how it seems to somewhat be moving further away from typical comedic narrative filmmaking, This Is 40 is both a very funny comedy and an in depth and emotionally true look at marriage that entertains and dramatically engages its audience (something few comedies achieve).

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Judd Apatow has now directed four films, each straddling a difficult tonal line between comedy and drama. His first two films (The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up) clearly felt like comedies, but with good dramatic moments and characters (again, his trademark). But, his last two films (Funny People and This Is 40) have come much closer to being dramas, and in many ways are as the characters and their issues outweigh the jokes. Viewers (steered by marketing) go into these films expecting comedies but are met with character-based dramas that also happen to be really funny and have happy endings. This seems to be splitting opinion much more, as many just want funny movies not character pieces, while others recognize what Apatow is doing with his films and appreciate them for what they are (something different and interesting). I for one really enjoy what he is doing with his films and look forward to his next.

Jon Brion’s score works to accentuate the dramatic shifts in the film, while Apatow also greatly uses a good soundtrack to strong effect. Phedon Papamichael’s cinematography is very good as well. The film is shot in a very straightforward fashion, but visually everything looks great. Jefferson Sage’s production design is used to ground the characters in reality, but Sage also has fun with some of the sets (like Pete’s office, which looks like a rock nerd’s fantasy).

The film is very well acted with a great and very funny supporting cast. Jason Segel’s, Chris O’Dowd’s, and especially Melissa McCarthy’s (who is hysterical) performances standout among the smaller supporting roles. Megan Fox is also surprisingly good in her supporting part. Albert Brooks is great in support, capturing the essence of the film, playing Pete’s father to both be funny and dramatically compelling. This is the third time Apatow has used his own daughters (Maude and Iris Apatow) in his films, but never with so much dramatic responsibility. They are both fantastic, and casting ‘real’ young actors in the roles would not have been an improvement. Paul Rudd is wonderful in the film. He gives Pete such a carefree cool vibe, but underneath there is so much stress and worry that just eat away at him boiling up when he can no longer bare it. Rudd also has perfect comedic timing. However, it is probably Leslie Mann who steals the film. Debbie just wants to have the perfect life and she tries to control everything around her to make it so, but this leaves her perpetually disappointed and ultimately unhappy. She just seems so frustrated all the time, but desperately wants to be happy.

Summary & score: This Is 40 is not going to work for everyone. It is not just a funny comedy, but also a cutting character drama. For those it does work for, it is a wonderful experience full of hilarious comedy and emotionally resonate drama. 8/10

LeapBackBlog 2011 Film Awards – Part 2: Supporting Performances

Film in 2011 saw many very good films. Deciding what made the lists and what did not was very difficult this year, and there are more than a few great films, performances and technical achievements that I had to leave off. The LeapBackBlog Film Awards are comprised of what I think were the best and most interesting films, the strongest performances (taking into consideration who the actor is and what else they have done, and 2011 again features a lot of amazing breakthrough performances), the narrative style that drew me in (best directing), and exquisite craftsmanship (best technical achievements). But really, these are lists of my favorites from the year.

Part 1: Technical Achievements

Part 3: Directors

Part 4: Leading Performances

Part 5: Films

Supporting Performances:

Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn

My Week with Marilyn is completely built around its performances – notably those of Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne and Kenneth Branagh. In particular, Williams, who barely missed out making my yearend awards, and Branagh stand out. He has the somewhat daunting task of playing real life screen legend Laurence Olivier, who is very well known (especially in England). The performance is great as Branagh must mask absolute frustration with the situation he has put himself in (having to deal with Marilyn, notoriously flaky and sort of whimsical about her working schedule) while also being completely infatuated with and in awe of her. He also somehow makes one of the great actors of his generation come off insecure, and it is believable.

Albert Brooks – Drive

Drive is another film that is built on its performances (and visual style). Albert Brooks plays the villain of the story, a gangster of sorts who is owed money. While Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan are both very good, Brooks’s performance stands out because of his approach – he is not a very menacing bad guy, at least he does not seem to be. And then, all of a sudden, he is scary, forceful and yes menacing. His scenes with Gosling near the end of the film make the narrative work – the audience is not quite sure if Drive is going to end happily or not (a rarity in cinema). Who would have thought that Brooks would create the best villain of 2011 (runners up: Bryce Dallas Howard in The Help and Ralph Fiennes in the Deathly Hallows: Part 2)?

Jessica Chastain – The Tree of Life

On the female side of the breakthrough aisle, 2011 belonged to Jessica Chastain (on the male side: Michael Fassbender). She appeared in six films, giving very good performances in all of them. However, she is brilliant in The Help, Take Shelter and especially The Tree of Life. While most of the praise seems to be focused on her performance in The Help, in The Tree of Life she has a much more difficult role, and is really the emotional centerpiece of the film. She plays a woman trapped by love and devotion, who is slowly crushed. Chastain is so good because she gives off so much happiness and light that when things get dark it is all the more heartbreaking, as all the energy and life seem to drain from her face. It is an extraordinary performance.

Elle Fanning – Super 8

Elle Fanning’s work in Super 8 is probably not going to be on most people’s list when it comes to best supporting performances (because blockbusters and genre films are always gravely overlooked), but it should be. Anyone who saw 2010’s Somewhere saw a young actress teaming with talent. Super 8 gave Fanning a chance to carry a large portion of the emotional weight of the film – making the audience fall in love with her, through the nostalgia of fist love – and thus giving more meaning to Joe Lamb’s mission to save her. Not only does Fanning steal the film, from a performance standpoint (I would like to direct your attention to her scene just before the train crash or her work as a zombie), she also boosts the other young actors around her – all of whom are very good as well.

Keira Knightley – A Dangerous Method

Keira Knightley’s performance in A Dangerous Method is probably the bravest and most shockingly physical of the year (especially for an actress considered to be a starlet). She was not afraid to go full out playing Sabina Spielrein, a woman that went from being physically disabled due to mental issues to being the first woman to write a psychoanalytic dissertation and even becoming a psychoanalyst herself. Knightley’s performance of pre-psychoanalysis Sabina is striking and even off putting, as it is hard to watch – Knightley seemingly mutilating her body and appearance. Thus, when she arrives on the other end as a confident powerful woman, it is remarkable and very engaging.

Christopher Plummer – Beginners

The journey that Christopher Plummer goes on with his character in Beginners is uplifting and sad, for different reasons. Finding oneself seems like it would be easy, but it is often hard due to outside pressures (be them societal or parental or what-have-you). Hal, Plummer’s character, has lived almost his entire life hiding his true self, and finally has the courage to let himself be himself. Seeing the sheer joy in Plummer’s performance is what makes his story so inspiring. The dynamic he has with his son, played by Ewan McGregor, also plays heavily into his performance. There is such a trust and love between them. This chemistry and Plummer’s performance in particular set up the entire narrative and character for McGregor, making the film the brilliant piece it is.

Alan Rickman – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Snape has been one of the most interesting characters in the Harry Potter universe, his background and motives always cloudy. In the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, in a magnificent scene (The Prince’s Tale), all is revealed. It is in this scene that Alan Rickman shines. Snape’s reveal is harrowing, heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time. Rickman, over the course of the series, has built Snape to be seemingly mean spirited, unforgiving and without feeling, thus his performance in the reveal, watching him fragment emotionally, is quite powerful. In a film with many fantastic and memorable moments, this is probably paramount among them.

Octavia Spencer – The Help

For many of the characters in The Help, the film is very much about perseverance in the face of flat out hate and/or ignorance. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer are given the brunt of the emotional work to do. The film has many standout supporting performances – Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Chastain are both wonderful, but Spencer’s just has more dramatic impact to it. In lesser hands, her Minny Jackson could have been just another stereotypical sassy woman. Spencer brings true humanity and organic strength to the role, giving the film so much more importance and magnitude, as it resonates even today. This would not be the case without her strong work.

Corey Stoll – Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris is a magical film with lots of great (name dropped) characters, but chief among them is Corey Stoll’s Ernest Hemingway. Regardless of what Hemingway may or may not have been like in reality, Stoll’s Hemingway commands the screen and steals every scene he is in. And, he is both laughably eccentric and completely believable (I am still not sure how Stoll pulled it off). Of all the performances on this list, Stoll’s has the least amount of screen time (and probably by a large margin), but his is one of the most memorable of 2011.

Shailene Woodley – The Descendants

Like Jessica Chastain, Shailene Woodley seemingly came out of nowhere (unless you watch The Secret Life of an American Teenager on ABC Family) to give one of the best performances of the year. Not only that, but she stands her own against George Clooney in The Descendants, arguably giving the best leading male performance of the year (and maybe even his career). Every year there are a few actors who give breakthrough performances, capturing our hearts, minds and emotions breathing fresh life into the art form that we love, and it is special to see it when it happens. Woodley’s performance is particularly impressive as she not only must play against Clooney in emotional scenes, but she also has to be his strength in the film.

Drive (2011) – Review

Review: Drive is not your typical Hollywood style crime drama (or action movie as some of the marketing might have you believe); rather it is a methodical character piece that plays out as a very good crime drama in the second half. Director (and for all intents and purposes writer, as he changed essentially all of the script) Nicolas Winding Refn is not so much interested in the action-heavy, cheesy dialog and mostly meaninglessness of Hollywood action fare. He has structured Drive to build slowly, allowing for the characters to exist in the space organically (and not defined by exposition and dialog). Then, he juxtaposes moments of action and graphic violence against the calm creating much more of an impact. These scenes are exhilarating for the audience. The action set pieces, though brief and little in number, are fantastic and play extremely well because Refn has set them up perfectly. However, this is a film that does not play well for all moviegoers (evidenced by the awkward reactions and nervous laughter from some viewers). The film is steeped in indie style, and is very similar to Refn’s last film Valhalla Rising in terms of pacing and overall narrative style (but with a bit more action). Those looking for a Hollywood style action crime drama (something like Fast Five) are probably going to be disappointed and bored through most of the beginning (as the pacing is slow). As good as the action set pieces are, Refn is much more focused on the overall aesthetic and mood of the piece. He is creating a cinematic piece of art, in a sense, and not just entertainment (not to say that it is not entertaining, because it is). He wants to derive meaning out of what is on the screen and his characters, and have it register with the viewer in a much more impactful way. However, do not fear, the film is far from avant-garde. Refn has characters that are relatable and also rife with genre conventions, as are many of the plot points and themes at play. Outside the style and pacing, this plays and feels very much like your typical crime drama – Refn has just made it his own (little dialog, not a lot of outward emotion shown, music playing a large role in translating character emotion to the audience, and brief moments of hyper-violence). It is Refn’s unique take on the genre that really makes this film special (in a world where many movies are the same thing rehashed over and over). The lead character, who is left unnamed, is also different than what we typically see in this genre. He is very soft-spoken, allowing his face and energy to emote rather than dialog. Yet, it is the contrast between his softness (and even awkwardness) with his love interest Irene and his competency as both a driver and badass that makes him a very compelling and interesting character, with almost no backstory. Drive above all feels fresh, and that may be its best quality.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Nicolas Winding Refn has inserted himself into the group of cool stylistic indie directors (probably most comparable to David Cronenberg, especially with the way he shoots violence). I cannot wait to see what he does next. Tonally and visually, Drive is fantastic (it is sort of a cross between Heat and Blade Runner). Cliff Martinez’s score, consisting of atmospheric tones, is brilliant and so perfect for the film (here is an example of the score), but is overshadowed by the found music (excellent stuff like Nightcall by Kavinsky, Under Your Spell by Desire and A Real Hero by College). Newton Thomas Sigel’s cinematography also fits Refn’s vision perfectly. The film looks very sleek and clean, juxtaposing the messiness of the situation the characters find themselves in. Beth Mickle’s production design also contrasts the lighting as the locations are rundown and unremarkable, and it works really well. The cast is fabulous. Oscar Isaac, Ron Perlman and Christina Hendricks (who has a great scene with Ryan Gosling) are very good in small supporting roles. Bryan Craston plays his tragic character well, and Albert Brooks plays a bit off-type for a great villain. Carey Mulligan is very important to the film’s narrative success. She does not have much dialog, but is able to get her emotions across nonverbally and is excellent. Gosling plays the odd lead character very well and differently from most similar types in the genre – he smiles.

Summary: Drive is not for everyone (it is far too stylistic for that), but its fresh take on the crime genre is remarkable and stunning. 9/10