This Is 40Movie Reviews


So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 59 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    This Is 40 isn't always hilarious, but it's ticklishly honest and droll about all the things being a parent can do to a relationship. And why it's still worth it. Read full review

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    That's what makes This Is 40 so potently, painfully funny, even when it's gross. What other film would dare suggest rectal monitoring as a form of closeness? Read full review

  • 75
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea

    In short, This Is 40, in tried and true Apatowian style, mixes weighty issues about intimacy and cohabitation with astute and smart-alecky pop culture references, crude bathroom jokes, stoner riffs, boob ogling, and existential angst. Read full review

  • 70
    NPR | Scott Tobias

    Calling it a mess would be both accurate and pointless, because a tidier comedy would squeeze the life out of this vital, generous blob of a film. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Todd McCarthy

    Even with all its ups and downs, there are more than enough bawdy laughs and truthful emotional moments to put this over as a mainstream audience pleaser during a holiday season short on good comedies. Read full review

  • 65
    Movieline |

    Apatow's film comes across as overstuffed and understructured, a collection of elements that hasn't really been assembled into a story and could do with the backbone. Read full review

  • 63
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    The best scenes - the only time This Is 40 taps into genuinely messy comic anxiety - feature Brooks, who shpritzes shabby false confidence as Pete's pop, saddled with a younger wife and triplets he can't tell apart. Otherwise, the movie never quite comes to a point. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Give it plenty of points for brutal honesty. But This is 40 could have used more laughs. Read full review

  • 40
    New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier

    There's a funny movie scratching at the edges of This is 40. Unfortunately, writer-director Judd Apatow sees himself as the John Cassavetes of Comedy, so every time that funny movie starts to emerge, Apatow tramples it with scenes of domestic irritation. Read full review

  • 25
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    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. Read full review

View more reviews for This Is 40 on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Edgy midlife comedy has realistic relationship, thin plot.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that This Is 40 is a sort-of sequel to Judd Apatow's popular comedy Knocked Up, following that movie's supporting characters, Debbie (Leslie Mann) and Pete (Paul Rudd), as they hit mid-life and start taking their marriage, and each other, for granted. It's classic Apatow, combining raunchy humor with tender moments, sometimes in the same scene, in ways that seem both realistic and entertaining. There are lots of sexual references and some intimate moments (though not much actual nudity beyond a woman's breasts), suggested oral sex, graphic bathroom humor, a scene of adults getting very high on pot cookies, other drinking/smoking, kids and teenagers misbehaving, and tons of strong language ("f--k," "s--t," and much more).
  • Families can talk about how This Is 40 portrays marriage. Does Pete and Debbie's relationship seem realistic? Does it seem healthy? How does it compare to other movie marriages?
  • Would you say Pete and Debbie are good parents? How do their relationships with their kids compare to their relationships to their own fathers?
  • Does the fact that This Is 40 is a comedy make the issues it touches on seem less serious? Do raunchy bits make movies like this funnier, or do they go overboard?
  • How relatable is Pete and Debbie's lifestyle? Does that fact that they're wealthy make their issues less sympathetic?
The good stuff
  • message true2 Positive messages: This Is 40 takes the position that marriage is hard, and people will irritate each other no matter how strong a connection they may have. But being able to ignore the small stuff and work together on the big things, even when you might think your partner is acting ridiculous, is the key to making a relationship last for the long haul.
  • rolemodels true1 Positive role models: Pete and Debbie bicker about what music to listen to, nag each other about each other's unhealthy and annoying habits, fight about parenting issues, and lie about their spending habits. In other words, they have a convincingly normal marriage, and when they aren't screaming, they clearly love each other. In fact, in one tender moment they promise never to murder each other, and it really sounds caring.
What to watch for
  • violence false2 Violence: Several heated fights -- between a long-married couple, between parents and children, and between a frustrated boss and his employees. Two men get into a fist fight that leaves one rolling on the ground in pain.
  • sex false4 Sexy stuff: Lots of sexual references, and two scenes featuring a married couple in intimate moments, including a spontaneous episode of oral sex that shows a woman's head moving up and down. A wife propositions her husband (her breasts are shown) in a scene that's anything but intimate. Other scenes show a woman in her underwear for no specific reason. A married couple watches a young woman have enthusiastic sex from a webcam when she doesn't know she's being watched. Another scene shows one female character poking at another's breasts with admiration. A character admits to being a professional escort. A breast is shown when a character gets a mammogram.
  • language false5 Language: Tons of swearing, with very frequent use of "f--k," plus "s--t," "d--k," "c--k," "prick," "a--hole," "c--t," "p---y," "boob," "ass," "crap," "damn," "goddamn," "oh my God," and more. Teens swear at their parents, and adults swear at other teens, as well as each other, both during casual conversation and in moments of stress.
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Many Apple products are featured prominently, especially a frequently used iPad. Several characters wear Nike sportswear. Characters also name-check well-known brands, including Facebook and the TV show Glee. The series Lost plays an important role in the plot and is mentioned repeatedly. Many musicians are also mentioned by name, and a few appear in the film.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false4 Drinking, drugs and smoking: An adult couple gets very high on pot cookies and acts ridiculous. A woman is trying to give up cigarettes but often smokes them secretly. People drink beer and other drinks at bars and parties.
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