Judd Apatow screened his latest directorial effort, This Is 40 (which comes out December 21st), to a warm reception at LACMA last week, and the first batch of reviews are in. Drew McWeeny at Hitfix raved about the movie, saying, “while it may be the most personal thing he’s ever made, it is also the most universal†and “This Is 40 represents the best of what Apatow is capable of as a filmmaker, and as mainstream comedy goes, no studio has released anything more honest or potent this year.â€Â He also praised the acting of supporting cast members Jason Segel, Chris O’Dowd, and Melissa McCarthy and singles out the director’s eldest daughter Maude Apatow’s performance for adulation.
Germain Lussier at Slash Film was less enthusiastic about the movie, noting that it’s overflowing with laughs but “never quite connects the way it should.â€Â David Poland at Movie City News compared This Is 40 to Woody Allen’s Crime and Misdemeanors for its even balance of comedy and drama and applauded the leads, saying, “Paul Rudd is terrific here, as usual, but it’s Leslie Mann who steals the show… An Oscar nomination should not be considered a long shot.†It’s a month-and-a-half before the movie comes out, but you can spend that time seething with envy towards these folks that have seen it already.