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The Forty-Year-Old Version

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6.8/10 • 102

2020-01-252h 3m

ComedyDramaMusic

Find your own voice.

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.

Directors
Radha Blank
Writters
Radha Blank
Editors
Radha Blank, Robert Grigsby Wilson

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Radha Blank

    Radha Blank

    Radha

  2. Peter Y. Kim

    Peter Y. Kim

    Archie

  3. Oswin Benjamin

    Oswin Benjamin

    D

  4. Reed Birney

    Reed Birney

    J. Whitman

  5. Imani Lewis

    Imani Lewis

    Elaine

  6. T.J. Atoms

    T.J. Atoms

    Kamal

  7. Welker White

    Welker White

    Julie

  8. Jacob Ming-Trent

    Jacob Ming-Trent

    Lamont

  9. Haskiri Velazquez

    Haskiri Velazquez

    Rosa

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Aug 31, 2023

6/10

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.

Media

  • The Forty-Year-Old Version backdrop
  • The Forty-Year-Old Version backdrop
  • The Forty-Year-Old Version backdrop
  • The Forty-Year-Old Version backdrop
  • The Forty-Year-Old Version backdrop

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
new york cityrap musicrapperplaywrightwriting workshopwoman directorstruggling playwright