The defence The Popcorn Loyalist
“It owes the canon nothing.”
The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.
Back to trending 
This Is 40
Comedy · 2012
Pete and Debbie are both about to turn 40, their kids hate each other, both of their businesses are failing, they're on the verge of losing their house, and their relationship is threatening to fall apart.
Movie details
This Is 40
“The sort-of sequel to 'Knocked Up'”
2012 Comedy 2h 14m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
5.9 / 10
Community rating
Pete and Debbie are both about to turn 40, their kids hate each other, both of their businesses are failing, they're on the verge of losing their house, and their relationship is threatening to fall apart.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over This Is 40?
For the defence
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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A Good Old Fashioned Orgy
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A group of 30-year-olds who have been friends since high school attempt to throw an end-of-summer orgy.
Life of the Party
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Down and Out in Beverly Hills
Comedy · 1986
Beverly Hills couple Barbara and Dave Whiteman find their lives altered by the arrival of a vagrant who tries to drown himself in their swimming pool.
The Wedding Year
Comedy · 2019
A commitment-phobic 27-year old’s relationship is put to the test when she and her boyfriend attend 7 weddings in the same year.
Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar
Comedy · 2021
The story of best friends Barb and Star, who leave their small midwestern town for the first time to go on vacation in Vista Del Mar, Florida, where they soon find themselves tangled up in adventure, love, and a villain’s evil plot to kill everyone in town.
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
Comedy · 2013
86-year-old Irving Zisman is on a journey across America with the most unlikely companion: his 8 year-old grandson, Billy.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Judd Apatow
Written by
Judd Apatow
Paul Rudd
Pete
Leslie Mann
Debbie
John Lithgow
Oliver
Megan Fox
Desi
Maude Apatow
Sadie
Iris Apatow
Charlotte
Chris O'Dowd
Ronnie
Court is in session
Put This Is 40 on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Big-Idea Head
“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”
It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.