The Forty-Year-Old Version

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Audience Member Just awful. Why don't these characters just get a proper job like a plumber or driving a truck? My wife is 70 and she looks younger than that 40-year-old. Not interested in the lives of these low lifes and their hangers-on. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/23/24 Full Review Peter K Well done in every aspect: this 'work of heart' will leave you with a smile on your face! Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/15/24 Full Review Michael D If you liked: Birdman "The Forty-Year-Old Version" is a 2020 black-and-white dramedy about the mid-life crisis and artistic struggles of an African-American playwrite, Rhada Blank. This is her actual name, she is the lead actress, director and scriptwriter; and the film is a dramatized version of her own experiences to achieve artistic fulfillment. The whole time as I am writing this I feel that I am not qualified or informed enough to do so; but it is a film I want to share, so go easy on me. Rhada is approaching forty, it's been 10 years since she wrote anything that has been recognized (or paid her rent), and her mother passed about a month ago; all this goes on to fuel her insecurity and doubt about her life-accomplishments and her future. This crisis pushes her to explore new possibilities, as she decides to try herself out as a rapper, simultaneously signing a contract to write a "Hollywood-friendly" Harlem play. Now, the plot sounds a bit boring and ridiculous, and it is ridiculous but not boring. First of all, it's a hilarious sarcastic comedy. It even seemed a little pretentious at the very beginning because of the amount of sarcasm, but you quickly pick up on it and laugh your booty out for the rest of the film. The amount of sarcasm is so overwhelming, it almost seems like a parody of a comedy if that makes sense, which gives the film it's very own style. The dramatic messages are also quite powerful; it's the first time I recognized the rude, raw, cruel self-reproach in somebody's rap lyrics which made sense; spitting harsh truths as you call it. Her play is being heavily edited, and she obviously doesn't like both this and herself, for allowing such a thing. She is torn between feeling like a complete artistic pushover without a real voice, and justifying it as simple "survival" during hard times. All that mixed emotion is mirrored in her music. This movie doesn't follow the usual narrative of suddenly experiencing great success against all odds. It is more interested in the little details and is all the better for it. The message is clear: don't be conformist to what anyone thinks true or write. Say only what you know is true. One word of truth shall outweigh the whole world. Find your own vision. Fill your own void. Find your own voice. I recommend this to anyone who has some kind of artistic aspiration, and to anyone that wants to broaden their film outlook. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Corey W Honest acting and razor-sharp writing position relative newcomer Radha Blank toward stardom. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review phil v Loved, loved, loved. Laughed out loud in places, which is very rare for me. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie is amazing. If you have the feeling that you are doing with your life, the exact opposite of what you think you should do, do not hesitate, this is your movie. It will help you to have compassion for your fragility, and at the same time it will give you strength to return to the path you like. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Forty-Year-Old Version

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