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The Forty-Year-Old Version

Country: united_states

Year: 2020

Running time: 123

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10642834/reference

Bob says: “Radha Blank wrote, directed, and starred in this film about a character named Radha Blank. Is it autobiographical? I imagine it must be, at least in part.

“The Radha in the film was the recipient of an award: she was included on a list of 30 Under 30 Playwrights to Watch. She was expected to do great things, but that was ten years ago. Now she teaches to make enough to pay her rent.

“She may be able to get her new play produced, but it’s going to require her to make a lot of compromises — maybe too many. On the other hand, she might be better off making rhymes for D, the beat maker out in Brownsville.

“The film, despite some pretty thin acting by supporting players, does a fine job of bringing up issues around

  • Art
  • Expectations
  • Authenticity
  • Selling Out
  • Gentrification
  • Poverty Porn
  • Community.

And speaking of community, you’ve got to love the Greek chorus of neighborhood folks who aren’t shy about letting Radha know what they think.”

 

Michael says: “This creative project for writer/performer/director Radha Blank is very entertaining and fun to watch, but ultimately, the parts are better than the whole. In what is surely a somewhat semi-autobiographical story of her life, or at least her struggles, THE 40 YEAR OLD VERSION follows the life of Radha Blank, a playwright who was voted one of the 30 under 30 about a decade ago. Now as she approaches 40, she faces a personal crisis. In the past ten years since she won that award, she has done very little, and is currently teaching a drama class for students who either roll their eyes at the sheer lack of cool she represents, or idol worship her for her non-existent accomplishments. As she approaches her 40th birthday, she decides to change tactics and become a rap artist, seeking out a DJ named D to provide the beats to her admittedly smart and thought-provoking rhymes. An opportunity to perform at a showcases sabotages her confidence as she gets high before her slot and is unable to perform. Simultaneously, her best friend and agent, submits to slight sexual favors with a big-time producer who in exchange will produce Radha’s play on Broadway. That doesn’t really go as planned either, as workshop changes steer the show into something that is more palatable and challenging to white audiences than the black community as it was originally intended. In the end, Blank finds her place and accepts her newfound power and creative wellspring along with her age.

“There’s a lot I left out in that synopsis, and that is part of the difficulty with THE 40 YEAR OLD VERSION. Radha Blank has such a fun and smart voice, that it’s a pleasure to go down whatever path she chooses to follow, Unfortuantely, that doesn’t necessarily make for a cohesive film. In some ways, as we discussed at our film-discussion meeting, Radha’s story might have been better served as a mini-series, to let her explore the many facets she wanted to explore and not try to hold the structure to a two-hour narrative. As a filmmaker/director, Blank does some creative things visually, and utilizes a series of characters who are Radha’s neighbors in Harlem as a Greek Chorus, commenting on Radha in hilarious video interviews. Thoroughly enjoyable, if not stellar filmmaking. 4 cats
Chris says: “A tad uneven and bloated, as if lead actress/director/producer Radha Blank was attempting to cram in a TV season’s worth of material into a two-hour feature film. But Blank has such a charming, winning presence that I’d watch her in almost anything; she effortlessly held my interest even when the screenplay did not. 3.5 cats
The Forty-Year-Old Version

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