This 'sort-of sequel' to Knocked Up really falls between sincere drama and pithy comedy, and as such it never quite hits the mark whilst having a lot to commend. As the central couple, Paul Rudd is always a watchable and genial screen presence, Leslie Mann is relentlessly whiny but can deliver a line well, and their two daughters are well-played foils, but it is difficult to warm to such a stereotypically repressed American couple who remain for the most part wilfully (and spectacularly financially) oblivious to their imploding situation. A fairly monotone style becomes wearing, but the film is enlivened by some (tellingly) sharp one-liners and pay-offs, together with some nicely-played subsidiary roles (Megan Fox, John Lithgow, Melissa McCarthy). This is the Apatow clan recognising the approaching mid-life crisis and growing more personal and at times more considered, making for an uneven but watchable film.
