THIS IS 40

THIS IS 40
Written and Directed by Judd Apatow
Starring Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann and Albert Brooks

Debbie: F@#k 40. 40 can suck my d#@k.

Birthdays can be messy but they can still be fun. The same can be said of comedy guru, Judd Apatow’s latest, THIS IS 40. Apatow’s fourth film is being billed as the “sort-of sequel” to KNOCKED UP, because it catches up with two of the supporting characters from that film, Pete and Debbie (Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann), rather than the main protagonists (played by Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl, neither of whom makes an appearance here.) At the time, Pete and Debbie were characters designed to show two expecting parents just how chaotic but bizarrely satisfying raising children and settling down can be. Fast forward a few years and these two are about ready to crack. And as Apatow ages, he too shows a few signs of cracking.

Pete and Debbie are both turning 40 within the same week. Her birthday is at the beginning of the week and is celebrated in quiet fashion with her immediate family, Pete and their two daughters, Sadie and Charlotte (played adorably by Apatow and Mann’s actual children, Maude and Iris Apatow). His birthday is to be feted in grand style at the end of the week with a multitude of party guests. The week that takes place in between these two events is one of the longest and most inconsistent trajectories I can imagine. What this couple has to go through in this week is a roller coaster of emotions and events that would surely send most people straight to divorce court. Pete and Debbie have a secret weapon though; every step they take is done so with hilarity and charm, and they are surrounded by an incredible supporting cast, including Albert Brooks, John Lithgow and Megan Fox.

Structural issues, and incessant Apple product placement aside, Apatow knows how to inject warmth and reality into comedy. This could be a direct influence of his borrowing from his own life to write THIS IS 40. While his strong understanding of human interaction and character infuses this work, making it feel like a more mature effort than previously produced films, his sympathy for his characters blinds him from creating a more cohesive final product. The moments are genuine and effective but just don’t connect at times. It is jarring to see this talented twosome fighting one moment, then having an amazing night together and then start fighting again the next day as if nothing ever happened. I get that this is how life works sometimes but this isn’t real life after all, and sometimes, Apatow loses sight of that ever so slightly.

Best Supporting Actor 2011: Results

5. Jonah Hill in Moneyball- Jonah Hill's performance is functional enough, but it never really stands out as anything that needed to be awarded.

4. Nick Nolte in Warrior- Nolte tries hard and gives a descent performance, but as with all of his performances, he never completely realizes the potential of his part.

3. Christopher Plummer in Beginners- Plummer's performance almost seems misused in the course of the film muting his emotional impact, when Plummer is on screen though he gives an effective enough of a performance.

2. Max von Sydow in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close- Although he is in a very bad film, and must support an awful actor in the lead, Sydow's performance is the best part of the film creating a moving and mysterious portrait of a man who refuses to speak due to his past.

1. Kenneth Branagh in My Week With Marilyn- Branagh tops this weak year, although there were plenty of not nominated supporting performances. Interesting enough the order of the nominees is almost the reverse order of how I would rank the films the nominees, something that rarely happens I must say. Branagh stands as my choice with his good but not perfect impersonation of Laurence Olivier. What really gives him the win though is his ability to actually turn Olivier into a compelling character despite the sever limitations of the script, as well as have the potential problem of getting caught trying to make just an impression.

Deserving Performances:
Albert Brooks in Drive
Bryan Cranston in Drive
Mark Strong in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life

Best Supporting Actor 2011: Albert Brooks in Drive

Albert Brooks should have received his second Oscar nomination for portraying Bernie Rose in Drive. (Well since it might be a bit before I get a chance to see Branagh, I am reviewing him here anyway)

Drive is a great thriller about an unnamed stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) who also moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals which inadvertently causes him serious problems.

Albert Brooks really should have gone down with the likes of Robert Montgomery for portraying the most different of character between his first and second nomination, since his great performance as Aaron Altman in Broadcast News has basically nothing in common with his performance here. Bernie and Aaron basically have nothing in common other than the fact that it shows off that Albert Brooks is an incredible actor if given the chance to be. From beginning to end Brooks gives a completely uncompromising performance as Bernie Rose that proves just what he is capable of.

Albert Brooks makes the absolute most out of Bernie Rose who is a mobster who is not exactly on the top of the heap, but still he does not answer to anyone. He has his specific place, and specific spot in the crime world that he is relatively happy in. Brooks is terrific from his first moment on screen as he establishes Bernie. In his earlier scenes he does not seem to be an entirely unreasonable man, there is always the sense that you definitely do not want to tick him off, but there is a certain degree of a strange sort of friendliness.

Brooks has a perfect matter of fact quality in Bernie that he uses effectively throughout. Brooks shows that is almost is that Bernie reached this place in his life by cutting through the crap and always saying things are exactly how sees them. There is a dominance Brooks has that suggests exactly where Bernie came from, and how he became exactly the way he is now. Brooks is excellent though because he never shows Bernie as a bad man exactly rather a man firstly, who does bad things only when he is forced to.

When Bernie's violent side finally appears Brooks is terrifying aided greatly by the fact that he didn't overplay Rose's negative side early on. Brooks makes Bernie moments of violence especially disconcerting and intense because of the way he brings it out. What I love about his two killing scene is how he actually shows a great deal of who Bernie is when he does this. Brooks does not simple kill them as a completely dissociative reaction that he has no emotional attachment to.

Brooks shows that Rose kills because of business entirely, but it is a very personal thing when he does it. The first person he kills he clearly has not respect for in the least, and does basically consider it pretty much taking out the trash, yet Brooks still shows Bernie disgusted to so almost blaming the his cause for disgust on the man he is killing. Brooks creates a fascinating killer who doesn't like to do it, but will do it when he needs to even though he doesn't mind blaming the victim for why he must do it.

The second person he kills though Brooks again shows a very different side of Rose, although it still reflects the idea that Rose only does it when needed and takes no joy in it. The second person he kills though is different because he actually likes the man, and really never had any desire to murder the man. It is of course a brutal violent moment, but Brooks inserts a degree of humanity in the scene. During the killing and afterwards he actually makes it sad necessity for Bernie that he most certainly feels very regretful and guilty of. The killing itself even Brooks portrays it as Bernie trying to kill a man in the nicest way he knows how.

Brooks is absolutely brilliant in his ability to suggest Bernie's small humane side while still staying absolutely imposing as well. Brooks is amazing in his final threatening speech to the Driver. It actually is very easy to overact a scene like this, or simply seem just nonthreatening as well, but Brooks is outstanding. Albert Brooks doesn't overplay the scene but lays it out on the line in the scene in a realistic and fierce manner. It is an incredible performance that turns what could have been a forgettable part, into a powerful memorable villain.

Best Supporting Actor 1987: Results

5. Sean Connery in The Untouchables- Connery has little to do in his role besides act tough and give inspirational talks both which he does adequately enough but never to any sort of amazing degree.

4. Denzel Washington in Cry Freedom- Washington gives a fine quietly passionate performance that avoids the problems some of his other performances suffer from.

3. Vincent Gardenia in Moonstruck- Gardenia gives an effectively colorful performance that only succeeds in adding to his film.

2. Morgan Freeman in Street Smart- Freeman gives a great performance excelling in both showing the odd charm and charisma equally well with the terrifying brutality of the same man.

1. Albert Brooks in Broadcast News- This for me was a rather close choice between the top two, although I really should not have had to make because Brooks gives really more of a lead than a supporting performance. Brooks either way gives a great performance that balances the different aspects of his character making a winning performance. He gives a charming humorous performance that finds the right emotional tone throughout the film.

Deserving Performances:
Vincent D'Onofrio in Full Metal Jacket
R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket
Mandy Patinkin in The Princess Bride

Best Supporting Actor 1987: Albert Brooks in Broadcast News

Albert Brooks received his first Oscar nomination for portraying Aaron Altman in Broadcast News.

Broadcast News is a film for that improved all around on this viewing so much so really that I must say I was rather unfair to William Hurt in my review of his leading performance and I should probably update my review since he achieves far more than I gave him credit for. What also struck me though was Albert Brooks in the role of the intelligent News reporter who believes in and is effective at reporting the real news. Even though he is not that much of a showman. Brooks really is not supporting but rather co male lead along with William Hurt.

Brooks actually has a great challenge in this role, a challenge that is often failed at which is to portray a character who is written to be annoying in some way but succeeding in making the character likable still. Brooks is quite capable in this regard as Aaron who is purposefully written to be a bit of a know it all as well as someone who does not mind espouses his views fairly loudly and with as much condescension as possible. Brooks though is able to balance this aspect of Aaron with his more charming traits just about perfectly though.

Brooks in Aaron more potentially annoying qualities does well because he effectively enables his slight sense of superiority to be both appropriately humorous as well as sincerity in his performance. Brooks is able to show that Aaron honestly does believe in what he does and what he attempts to do, and it it is almost that he can't help but be at least a little snarky to those who are willing to compromise their values rather than do what it right.

Brooks with this though also does manage to make Aaron charming in his own particular way. Brooks is interesting actually in that he shows that what Aaron tries to do really is always attempt to be charming as much as possible really, because it does not come to him naturally. Brooks is able to show naturally actually able to realize Aaron's repeated attempts to try to charismatic and naturally he does succeed somewhat, but Brooks shows always there is that effort that stops Aaron from being able to be his rival Tom Grunick (William Hurt).

What really is effective about his performance though is in Brooks of portrayal of Aaron relationship with the television producer Jane (Holly Hunter). Brooks is terrific in these scenes as he shows Aaron's obvious love for Jane even though Jane refuses to see Aaron anymore than just a friend. Brooks is great in showing just how much he honestly does love her particularly in his body language that is always tuned toward's Hunter's in a way that he is always waiting for just to reciprocate.

Brooks is very moving really in his scenes with Hunter later on after Jane has fallen for Tom. Brooks realizes so well the various emotions Aaron goes through from his obvious love for Jane that he finally absolutely comes out with, but also with his own anger toward her since she can't return it and is instead falling for a man who represent everything he sees that is wrong with the news. Brooks gives a moving performance that really realizes the painful dilemma of Aaron's life.

Brooks is also great in his very important moments with William Hurt as neither of them treat each other in really a hostile a fashion but rather have a dynamic of rather hidden mutual jealousy, disrespect but with a bit of admiration at the same time. What both actors do work exceedingly well for their scenes together which realizes both their professional and personal struggles in an interesting effective fashion. I was very much surprised by just how much I liked him this time around, but Brooks really gives a great performance that succeeds completely with his character.

Best Supporting Actor 1987

And the Nominees Were:

Albert Brooks in Broadcast News

Denzel Washington in Cry Freedom

Sean Connery in The Untouchables

Vincent Gardenia in Moonstruck

Morgan Freeman in Street Smart

476. Drive

476. (23 Nov) Drive (2011, Nicolas Winding Refn) 44



Stylized to a fault, Drive uses pensive, wordless shots and a pounding score in lieu of character or plot development. That would be fine if Winding Refn were a more accomplished director, but it's all style, no substance. He really doesn't have much to work with in the always vacant Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. Their romantic chemistry is simply not there. The delightful Christina Hendricks is totally wasted to give screentime to an ineffective Albert Brooks, who has some inexplicable Oscar buzz for a do-nothing role. I'm really not sure what the hipsters see in this one; is Gosling's jacket that cool?