The Forty-Year-Old Version

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.

This has got a lovely pace, beautifully shot, and keeps on keeping things real - with the delight and courage and struggle and beauty that real life can have. Radha is charming and funny as well as raw, and her relationships - from those on the street corner, old friends and very new ones, the teenagers she works with each week - too.

The plot is not uncommon, an artistic talent in search of true self and caught between commercialism and sincere expression. and yet, the acting, script, direction, editing - it drew me in. i didn't think it would but i quickly found my self caring about her and enjoying her journey, great job on character development for herself and supporting. casting also good. one thing i look for with new/small film, flat spots, where a director or editor lets things lull, creating an unevenness - none here, there is consistency and a rhythm from beginning to end. i can't wait to see what she does next.

I very much enjoyed this movie. The female lead, who also wrote and directed the movie, tells a funny if sad story of a middle-aged black playwright who cannot get her works produced until she finally agrees to sell out and rewrite one of her works to make it conform to the East Side white liberal view of what Harlem must be like. (Imagine the world of New York East Side pseudo-intellectuals that Woody Allen has been lampooning for decades.) Her compromised play succeeds - with an audience of white East Side intellectuals - and then she has to decide where to go from there.

There are wonderful scenes in this movie. There were others that didn't hold me.

I wish more time could have been devoted to how the original play was changed/compromised during rehearsals.

Still, I definitely recommend this movie.

When I first saw this advertised I thought oh wow a refreshing comedy tackling some interesting concepts.

Sure there parts which are touching, funny and insightful but I was left with a sense of disappointment. There were characters who could done with more substance to them and development in the story as a whole. And the chance to developer her art form further was a change that was missed. It could of taken the movie in a refreshing direction.

Overall it worth a watch as it does address some genuine and authentic life experiences.