The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020)
Desperate for a breakthrough as she nears the big 4-0, struggling New York City playwright Radha finds inspiration by reinventing herself as a rapper.
- Radha Blank
- Michael L. Walker
- Radha Blank
Rating: 6.8/10 by 102 users
Alternative Title:
40살 버전 - KR
The 40-Year-Old Version - US
Η Σαραντάχρονη Έκδοση - GR
40歳の解釈: ラダの場合 - JP
40-letnia raperka - PL
Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 02 hour 03 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: new york city, rap music, rapper, playwright, writing workshop, woman director, struggling playwright
Radka is a playwright who has somewhat fallen from grace since her first success and as she approaches 40 is having a sort of mid-life crisis - what is she about? What's it all for? How can she become fulfilled? Well - indefatigable, she goes about setting herself up as a rapper and it becomes quite clear to "D" - the young base track layer that she has some skill at it. He even presuades her to do a live gig so perhaps her rather hum-drum, routine, existence might be about to change for the better... ? Well, simultaneously her agent "Archie" (Peter Kim) is trying to get the rather seedy, gay casting-couch merchant "J Whitman" (Reed Birney) to produce her play and the film juggles her rapping and writing aspirations set against her day-job teaching a disparate bunch of students with attitude and talent - but both need to be controlled! At it's best, this is great - the rapping is potent and poetic; the comedy can be funny - if somewhat predictable; and she is an engaging and likeable character. It is, however, far too long and auteur Blank struggles to maintain the pace and focus of the film for much of what just turns out to be a fairly ordinary tale of a single woman trying to recalibrate. I enjoyed it, but it really could have been doing with a more objective hand at the helm.
