The Comedian

Review by Pamela Zoslov

I have come to think of certain Hollywood comedies as being like big, dumb, eager-to-please dogs (Golden Retrievers come to mind, no offense to that friendly breed). THE COMEDIAN, starring Robert De Niro as an aging insult comic, is one such dog. Unlike many of my film-critic colleagues, I don't deplore these movies for their lack of excellence — I appreciate them for what they are, escapist pap with some well-known actors that deliver a few laughs.

De Niro plays Jackie Burke, a 67-year-old comedian who is most famous for starring in a long-running sitcom, “Eddie's Home.” Thirty years later, wherever Jackie goes, fans approach him and insist that he “do Eddie” and recite the character's asinine catchphrase.

This Is 40

By Pamela Zoslov

If this is 40, Judd Apatow, give me 37. Or 65 and a half. Just don't let me be the age at which you're a spoiled, affluent suburban couple screaming and whining about Viagra, hemorrhoids and mortgage payments while driving your deluxe BMW and cavorting at a pricey resort.

That the same Judd Apatow who gave us brilliant episodes of The Larry Sanders Show in the '90s and the endlessly hilarious KNOCKED UP is responsible for the unendurable THIS IS 40 is both baffling and depressing. Either Apatow never was as clever as we thought, or more likely, success – as a writer, director and head of his own production company – has compromised his talent. According to a recent New York Times profile of Apatow, THIS IS 40, about the travails of middle-aged marrieds and featuring his real-life wife and children, is semi-autobiographical. If that's so, Apatow must live the shallowest life imaginable. In tackling this subject matter, Apatow doesn't need to be Cassavetes or Bergman – he just has to be funny. THIS IS 40 is sour, strident and decidedly unfunny.