This Is 40
Metascore
59 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 39 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 39
  3. Negative: 7 out of 39
view
per page
  1. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    Dec 20, 2012
    38
    I don't think he (Apatow) did enough research on his topic. Because no one could be as whiny, spoiled, tasteless, combative and reliant on annoying stand-up comedy riffs as the entire cast of this film, the most disappointing one of the year.
  2. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    Dec 20, 2012
    25
    The real problem with This Is 40 is its lack of truth, that Apatow wanted to express something about married life, and it eluded him. After all, no less than Kierkegaard once said that the actual dynamics of marriage are beyond the scope of art, and he was the best movie critic of the 19th century.
  3. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    Dec 20, 2012
    38
    The movie that's meant to be his (Apatow) most personal turns out to be his most dully generic.
  4. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Connie Ogle
    Dec 20, 2012
    38
    This is 40 is crude and dull, with a supporting cast that reminds you how utterly uninteresting the main characters are.
  5. Slate
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    Dec 18, 2012
    30
    At its worst, This Is 40 feels like being condemned to watch two hours of someone else's home movies - overly long, self-indulgent, and bone-crushingly banal.
  6. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Jesse Cataldo
    Dec 16, 2012
    38
    It certainly suffers from the staleness of its off-the-cuff, improv-inspired mode of comedy, which prizes free-form riffing over organically constructed comedic scenarios.
  7. Boxoffice Magazine
    Reviewed by: Amy Nicholson
    Dec 4, 2012
    30
    Apatow has drifted further and further from comedy with every film, but This is 40 is the first where he hasn't even bothered to write any jokes. Instead of snappy dialogue, we get lazy exchanges.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.0 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 141 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 57
  3. Negative: 16 out of 57
  1. Grim13
    3
    Not even the stunning Megan Fox can save this film.
  2. kurasanwich
    4
    sentimental, sometimes funny, typical Aptow navel gazing about emotional discovery and maturity. Wish he would get over the mid-life crisis and make something funny again. It is comparable to Louis the television series in that it makes fun of real life, steals some of his jokes, and is a realistic humor on getting older, only not nearly as funny. It is well balanced in that Megan fox has few lines and is mostly camera fodder to make the viewer forget that he is watching a **** polished version of a boring married couple. Would have been much more interesting if Rudd and Mann actually tried to kill each other and not just joke about it. don't pay money to see it. online free version is watchable. not worth the price of admission.… Full Review »
  3. bl_nk
    7
    Overall, not bad. Many criticisms the critics brought up are valid. It's long, tonally uneven, some of the comic bits fall flat, etc. I feel like it had great potential to either be a hilarious comedy or a touching drama, but instead, it feels like two different movies awkwardly sewn together, instead of a seamless, singular whole; the comedic elements undermine the dramatic scenes, and vice versa. If you walk in the theater from a critical standpoint, you'll probably be left feeling disappointed, but if you approach it from a more casual standpoint, you'll find lots to enjoy. While the movie intermittently made me laugh and feel, it could have easily been a much better film if it committed to either comedy or drama. Also, they spoil the ending of Lost, so I'm subtracting an additional point off of my score. Yes, some of us still haven't finished watching that show.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »