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The 40-Year-Old Version Movie Review

The 40-Year-Old Version is a 2020 comedy film directed, written by and starring Radha Blank. It’s one incredibly debut for this talented woman.

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“Nope, I ain’t that nigger“

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A down-on-her-luck playwright thinks the only way she can salvage her voice as an artist is to become a rapper at 40. Apparently, this movie is mostly autobiographical as Blank herself was a struggling artist who also tried to be a rapper at some point. This film is a terrific example of how properly to do an autobiographical picture as she imbued the movie with her real struggles and experiences, thus making it very personal and moving, but also adding some more fictionalized moments that make it more cinematic.

Although hardly hilarious and the second half is less memorable, it’s the type of comedy that is sophisticated and subtle. As such, it works best in the real observations of the protagonist that can be both sad and funny at the same time, as life truly is. My favorite comedic bit was the deconstruction of the magical negro archetype. That part was hilarious.

The biggest reason why the movie works so incredibly well lies in the execution of its admittedly familiar plot that is anything but clichéd. Most movies would be your typical inspirational biopics with a plot like this, but this flick changes that by being much more real and believable in not only character interactions, but also the many immediate details in regards to the theater business, rap business and any entertainment and/or art business really. It truly gets how difficult it is to break into any of those and it doesn’t sugarcoat the struggles of the aspiring artists.

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It does explore the issue of race, but its depiction of ageism was even more potent. The 40-Year-Old Version is beautifully shot in gorgeous, tender black-and-white with some very memorable imagery, but it is above all else a showcase for its star. Yes, what Radha Blank did here was truly incredible. She not only wrote the movie in such a sophisticated manner, but she also directed it deftly and she gave a truly terrific, charismatic and complex performance. I also liked her boyfriend and her fun best friend, but she is the scene-stealing star here.

In what has to be the best cinematic debut of the year, Radha Blank truly shines in The 40-Year-Old Version. Her script is very sophisticated, poignant and grounded in reality while her direction is also strong. Her acting performance is fantastic and scene-stealing. The film works as both a witty and light-hearted comedy, but also as this far from clichéd autobiographical flick that really gets what it is like being an aspiring artist. It is fueled by honesty in its every scene and that was truly commendable.

My Rating – 4.5