This Is 40

This Is 40 - Dir. Judd Apatow (2012)

Judd Apatow's latest film, This Is 40, is marketed as being a "sort of" sequel to his second directorial effort, Knocked Up. Though Knocked Up turned Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl into bankable movie stars, neither of them makes an appearance in This Is 40. In fact, other than a passing reference, you don't need to see both to understand the story. The sequel is more of a spin-off focusing on Pete (Paul Rudd) and his wife, Debbie (Leslie Mann), the older sister of Heigl's character. This Is 40 has less of the zany energy and ribald humor of Apatow's earlier pictures. It's a bit more mature in the vein of his last film, Funny People. It could also be considered Apatow's most personal and semi-autobiographical since it stars his real-life family with Rudd as his stand-in.

Pete and Debbie are dealing with all the trials and tribulations of married life and middle age. Separately, they have their own issues. Pete runs an independent record label that isn't doing well and he has to cut checks that he can't afford to his freeloading father (Albert Brooks). Debbie runs a clothing store and tries to figure out which of her employees (Megan Fox and Charlyne Yi) are stealing from the register. She too has a contentious relationship with her own father (John Lithgow), a distant man who spends more time with his new family. Together, they get into arguments about finances, dieting, and parenthood. Their eldest daughter, Sadie (Maude Apatow), is going through her tempestuous teenage years and screaming at her parents and little sister (Iris Apatow).

One of the frequent complaints against Apatow productions are the lengthy runtimes. You could say This Is 40 is 40 minutes too long. Apatow's improvisational style exacerbates the problem by giving the film a loosey-goosey feel. There's no driving narrative with the movie playing out as a series of episodic vignettes. It's also difficult to feel any sympathy for the characters when they have such first world problems. Pete eats too many cupcakes while Sadie spends all her time catching up on Lost. They live in upper middle class bliss with a trampoline and swimming pool in their backyard. It's hard to relate to their money problems when they throw catered birthday parties and own every conceivable gadget emblazoned with an Apple logo.

Still, Apatow manages to glean kernels of truth from mundane everyday life. Debbie is grossed out when Pete farts in bed and feels insecure about her body in comparison to the shapely Megan Fox. Horndogs will definitely enjoy the scene where the two ladies compare the texture of their breasts. Pete's need to escape from his family hasn't waned. Rather than fantasy baseball, he hides in the bathroom and plays Bejeweled Blitz on his iPad. Pete and Debbie both suffer the indignities of invasive prostate exams and colonoscopies. That may pale in comparison to the awkwardness of reading their daughter's internet chatter. This leads to a hilarious series of escalating confrontations with an angry parent played with gusto by Melissa McCarthy. There's a satisfying emotional payoff to the subplot as husband and wife join forces against a common enemy and remember just why they fell in love.

There's a wealth of talent in the supporting cast with bit roles filled out by Chris O'Dowd, Lena Dunham, Michael Ian Black, Jason Segel, Robert Smigel, Bridesmaids co-writer Annie Mumolo, Tatum O'Neal, and Billie Joe Armstrong as himself. Megan Fox is surprisingly game in a rare comedic turn. Albert Brooks is an old hat at improve and his style meshes well with Apatow. Too bad he didn't have more scenes with John Lithgow.

Judd Apatow has successfully built himself into a brand, writing and directing his own pictures and producing dozens more. In the grand scheme of things, This Is 40 won't rank at the top of his filmography. It's not as good as Knocked Up or 40-Year Old Virgin, but leagues above Drillbit Taylor. This Is 40 is a mixed bag of mild amusements that leisurely sputters along until a pat sitcom ending where someone gives a heartfelt speech, people learn valuable lessons, and everything turns out to be okay. Unfortunately, they take far too long to get there.

Rating: ** ½ (*****)

The Runaways

The Runaways - Dir. Floria Sigismondi (2010)


”Hello, daddy, hello, mom…I’m your ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb.”

Standard formula for the music biopic: aspiring musician struggles with impoverished homelife and/or childhood trauma, quickly rises to fame, pisses it away for sex and drugs. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

The Runaways chronicles the formation of the all-girl rock band and follows that exact same path. However, it is far from the type of polished Oscar bait fare you expect from a film like Ray or Walk the Line. It’s grimier and dirtier picture which encapsulates the music scene of the 70’s.

The film begins with its two central characters Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) and Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart). Cherie, in full-on Ziggy Stardust gear, lip-synchs to “Lady Grinning Soul” for her high school talent show and is met with the cat calls of her schoolmates. Jett plops down a bag full of change to purchase her first leather jacket. She receives guitar lessons from a condescending instructor who tells her, ”Girls don’t play electric guitar.”

One fateful night, Jett meets up with record producer, Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), and pitches him the idea for a rock band, all girls, no guys. Together, they spot Currie sultrily sulking in the corner of a club and make her their lead singer. Each girl models their on-stage persona on their respective idols. Jett on Suzi Quatro, Currie on David Bowie. Rounding out the band are guitarist Lita Ford (Scout Taylor-Compton) and drummer Sandy West (Stella Maeve). In real life, the band went through several bassists, but for the film they have the fictional Robin Robbins (Alia Shawkat), a composite of original member Micki Steele (later of The Bangles) and Jackie Fox who refused to sign off on the film.

The Runaways achieve mild success in the States, but find an overwhelming response in Japan where they are mobbed by fans. It’s in Japan that Curie gives her iconic performance, strutting about the stage in nylon stockings and pink & black lingerie. As the band’s tumultuous relationship with Fowley unfolds, we see how unapologetic he is at marketing the Runaways as jailbait sex symbols. Fowley gives them barely enough money to feed themselves on the road (he never travels) and rides them like a drill instructor. Turning a double-wide trailer into a recording studio, he gets local kids to throw feces at the girls to prepare them for hecklers.

Meanwhile, Currie immerses herself into the world of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll to escape the confines of her dead-end suburban life. She has a mom (Tatum O’Neal) who has run off to Indonesia, a perpetually drunken father (Brett Cullen), a sister (Riley Keough) stuck working at a fast-food place. Her descent into addiction threatens to tear the group apart.

The Runaways was loosely based on Currie’s memoirs, Neon Angel, while Jett served as producer. As such, the film focuses almost exclusively on the two. Ford and West are marginalized while Shawkat’s character gets no lines at all. The spotlight shines directly on Currie and Jett with some girl-on-girl action just for the hell of it. Currie is also the only character to get her personal life fleshed out. Other moments are similarly glanced over, such as the genesis of their signature hit, “Cherry Bomb,” which is ad-libbed in only a few short minutes.

Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning do an amiable job in their roles and sing surprisingly decent covers of tunes like “Dead End Justice” and “Queens of Noise.” But, it’s Michael Shannon, donning thick glam rock make-up, who really brings it as the flamboyant and abrasive Fowley. Shannon is definitely one of the best character actors working today, a 21st century version of Christopher Walken.

Floria Sigismondi, a photographer and director of commercials and music videos, makes her feature film debut here. She manages to capture the look of the 70’s even with a low budget though she doesn’t quite have the eye of someone like Anton Corbijn.

The Runaways is a messy movie, but refreshingly so, even if it feels like the Cliff Notes version of the true story.

Rating: **