40 Years Young
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40 Years Young
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that 40 Years Young is a 2022 feature about Mexican restaurant co-owners/ friends whose reputations bring them to the attention of a prestigious culinary contest in Cancun. They flirt, drink alcohol, smoke weed, and compete while demanding exes and a crumbling marriage distract them. Kids may feel for a young son who learns his dad isn't his biological father. Adults kiss and sexual encounters occur offscreen. Language includes "f--k," "s--t," "ass," "bastard," "bitch," "damn," "butt," and "hell." In Spanish with English subtitles.
What's the Story?
In 40 YEARS YOUNG, Cesar (Erick Elias), about to turn 40, and his friend Paolo (Adal Ramones) are co-owners and chefs of a trendy small restaurant in Mexico City. Paolo's ex-wife is pressing for tuition money he doesn't have. Cesar learns his own wife has been hiding the fact that the son they've raised for ten years is not his biologically. She also admits that she was dating someone else when they first met. Under that stress, the two men go off to compete in a prestigious cooking contest in Cancun for $20,000 in prize money. Cesar's heart isn't in it and the upbeat Paolo has to keep talking his friend back into cheerful productiveness. As they move toward the finals, they meet two attractive women on vacation and have brief flings, but the vulnerable and heartbroken Cesar takes his more seriously than it's meant to be taken. He turns 40, learning a lesson he passes onto his son, that things don't always go according to plan.
Is It Any Good?
40 Years Young is a bit of froth that tries to lean on the importance of family and friendship for its substance. And its central message is a good one -- that parental love has little to do with biology. But despite appealing performances, it never really amounts to anything, and the appeal for the teens who would best understand the goings-on would likely be minimal.
Puzzlingly, several times the script goes in directions that don't pay off. Cesar is told a DNA test was done showing someone else fathered the boy he's raised as his son. Much is made of his asking for another one, but the results don't move the plot along at all. Dramatic tension is created when the troubled Cesar takes time off in the middle of the contest, yet it turns out Paolo could compete alone, making it clear that the tension was contrived rather than organic to the story. A character refers to his gastritis as if it's going to be a continuing theme with consequences for the story, but it's never mentioned again. The movie keeps setting us up for dramatic arcs that go halfway up but don't return to earth for a satisfying close.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how it might affect a child to learn the man who raised him isn't his biological father. How would you feel?
Why do you think the mom kept that secret for so long? Was she wrong to do it? Why or why not?
What is the movie's point of view about family? How do you know?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: May 4, 2022
- Cast: Adal Ramones, Gaby Espino, Erick Elias
- Director: Pietro Loprieno
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 81 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: October 25, 2022
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