I'm a big fan of Judd Apatow - I like how much he throws himself into and this little empire and network of people that he's created - it's quite something. Throw that and Paul Rudd into the mix and I'm a happy camper. This is by no means a perfect film. And it's not for everyone - if you like slice-of-life family drama that connects pretty deeply, you'll dig it - but if you like big stakes then I imagine a film about middle class white people not being able to afford their amazing lifestyle isn't going to quite do it for you. And that's fine too.
The Apatow "method" of improv heavy films has never been quite so obvious as it is here - and I'm not passing judgement or suggesting that it doesn't largely work, but at the same time I find it difficult to justify the running time for this sort of film. There's no need for a 2hr, 14 minute film about a mid-life crisis comedy. Good for Judd for getting away with it, but I think that this is a film that could benefit from a good deal of pruning. As it is I like it, but I probably could have loved it.
If you've liked his previous films, this one is worth checking out - although I feel like it's his less heart-filled film. At the end I don't know if I felt like Pete and Debbie so much resolved their issues as they just stopped bitching at each other about their current problems. I sound like I didn't like the film, but I swear I did. Can't wait for the special features that'll be loaded to the tits on the BluRay.
