This is 40

There are three things every Judd Apatow movie has in common. The first is that they are all very, very funny in a raunchy, balls to the wall sort of way. The second is that they have a surprising amount of honesty and heart. The final thing is that each movie is approximately twenty to thirty minutes too long. Now, my boyfriend says Apatow is like a rock star - they wrote 15 songs for a new album and it doesn't matter if three of them aren't as good and drag the rest of the album down, they are going to include all of them. And while Apatow is definitely the comic voice of a generation and sort of the father of the current comedy scene, he isn't Scorsese or Spielberg so there is really no excuse for how bloated all of his movies feel. He needs an editor to tell him no. He has the ability to create the modern American comedy but, instead, his movies are just good instead of being great.

This is 40 is a sort of sequel to Knocked Up. Five or six years later, we meet back up with Deb and Pete, played by Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd. It is their shared birthday week and both are turning 40. Pete is handling it better, or at least, not lying about his age the way Deb is. There isn't so much a plot as just a bunch of stuff that happens, which is actually more realistic. Its called life. Pete has a failing record company and he thinks signing an old failing Graham Parker will help revive things. He also has to deal with his mooch dad (Albert Brooks) who has high blood pressure, a new wife and toddler triplets. Deb struggles with re-establishing a relationship with her deadbeat dad (John Lithgow) and the possibility of hottie employee Megan Fox who may or may not be seealing from her chic clothing store. Then there are their precocious children, played by Apatow and Mann's real life daughters Maude and Iris. Maude plays teen Sadie, obsessed with Lost and her changing body and crazy mood swings. Iris is 8 year old left out Charlotte, responsible for some of the best one liners. There is also an appearance by Jason Segel as his Knocked Up character.

There is a lot going on in this movie and, at over two hours, its east to see where they could have trimmed a minute here and a minute there. The super funny script and the great performances sort of make up for it though. Albert Brooks is so great as Pete's mooch dad, but Mann steals the show. She is funny and sweet and brings a levity to the raunchy comedy. Deb and Pete were easily the best thing about Knocked Up, so I'm really glad Apatow decided to give us another look into their lives. They deserve to be the stars of their own movie. Apatow most certainly has a gift for making characters feel real and lived in and for portraying even ridiculous scenes honestly. I just really wish he would learn to edit his movies down just a tad. But, I guess when you are ruling the box office, you can do whatever you want.

Also, LOVE the Ryan Adams cameo at the end.

Grade: B

Quickies: Contagion, Drive and more!

Win Win - Indie darlings Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan star as a Midwestern couple who all but adopt a young wrestling prodigy in this charming little film. Giamatti and Ryan are both fantastic in their roles, especially Giamatti who doesn't play necessarily the most likable person in the world. Bobby Cannavale manages to steal every scene he's in, of course. I was expecting just your average indie quirky film but it had a lot more depth and heart that I was expecting. It's definitely worth checking out.
Grade: B-

Contagion - If you think this is just going to be another boring disaster type flick about an epic disease spreading through the world is wrong. This isn't Outbreak. This a great film from director Steven Soderbergh with, probably, the most perfect cast of the year: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, John Hawkes, Marion Cotillard, Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburn. Paltrow goes oversees on a business trip and manages to become infected. When she returns home, she begins to pass the virus to everyone around her. And so it begins. Watch as husbands mourn their cheating dead spouses and struggle to keep their daughter disease free, doctors try to find a cure and trace the beginning, and sleazy journalists try to profit from the whole thing. A great thrilling interesting timely film.
Grade: B

Paul / Your Highness - I could pretty much say the same thing about both of these movies: so much wasted talented!!! Paul is about a couple of nerds leaving Comic Con who discover a real alien and run from the FBI. The wasted comedic talent includes, but is not limited to: Simon Pegg, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Jane Lynch and my beloved Landry from Fright Night Lights (a.k.a. Jesse Plemmons). Your Highness is an epic about a stoner knight who goes on a quest with his handsome brother to save his virgin bride from an evil wizard. Not only is it directed by David Gordon Green, the genius who directed All the Real Girls and George Washington, but also it wastes the considerable talents of Natalie Portman, James Franco, Zooey Deschanel and Justin Theroux (and the somewhat lesser talents of Danny McBride). Neither film is funny at all. Both are a huge waste of time and will probably end up on my Worst of the Year list.
Grade: F for both

Drive - This movie has a massive amount of swagger and style from the very first second of the film. You are immediately engrossed in this beautifully filmed story about a stunt car driver for films who finds himself caught up in a crazy world of driving criminals from whatever place they happen to be robbing. And, boy, can he drive. He being Ryan Gosling, who mesmerizes and smolders his way through this film. He's fantastic. As is the supporting cast of Carey Mulligan (who is pretty much Michelle Williams, version 2.0 and that is NOT a bad thing), Bryan Cranston (again!), Ron Perlman and SCENE STEALER EXTRAORDINAIRE Albert Brooks. Seriously, Brooks is sooo damn good, I can't imagine him not being nominated for an Oscar at this point. This movie is simply beautiful, one of the best of the year. It's silent and intense and a great slow burn thriller that goes from zero to extreme violence in the blink of an eye. This movie should not be missed!
Grade: B+