The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020) Movie Review
Every once in a while you see a movie and think “Wow, I haven’t seen anything like that this year.” For me, The Forty-Year-Old Version was that movie. This is Radha Blank’s movie, period. She wrote, directed, and stars in it — and by the way she kills it. Here, Radha basically plays herself. She’s approaching forty and is still struggling to find her footing as a playwright.
Blank does an excellent job at showcasing the stuffy, sexist, and blatantly racist world of theater. She has ideas and stories to tell, but they have to be stuffed into some producer’s idea of what theater should be. To supplement income, she teaches a theater class to teens and the movie is sparked by an interaction she has with a student named Elaine (Imani Lewis). Elaine erupts into a disagreement with Radha asking why she should care what a failed playwright thinks about her. Radha begins to question the direction of her life and considers the fact that she might be a “has been” despite being a playwright to watch earlier in her life.
She wants to write and express herself but hates being forced to compromise her message within her chosen medium. In a self-reflection (literally and figuratively) she begins to rap about her frustrations. Overnight she decides she wants to become a rapper. She finds D (Oswin Benjamin) a twenty-something producer who makes and sells beats on Instagram. After connecting with him she starts to record and along the way builds a friendship with the calm and quiet man.
The Forty-Year-Old Version is an absolute blast to watch. A forty-something playwright turned rapper sounds kind of ridiculous until you see it for yourself and realize it’s actually kind of genius. Most of that is owed to Blank putting in an extraordinary performance of a woman going up against a system built to keep people who look like her out. At its core, The Forty-Year-Old Version is about pursuing your dreams and passions and accepting that they might change over time. Radha’s dream changes throughout the movie and she has to navigate those changes and learn to accept them.
Blank puts in a tour-de-force performance of believing in yourself and surrounding yourself with people who support you. She doubts herself, falls flat on her face at times, and struggles throughout the whole movie. But by the end you can see Radha coming into herself and accepting her new path. The writing is witty and gives a glimpse into Blank’s own personal story. It was refreshing to see Blank so expertly weave the threads of racism, sexism, and self discovery into one entertaining movie. Plus her rapping is pretty brilliant and you can see why it’s a form of self expression for her that being a playwright couldn’t fulfill. This is Radha Blank’s movie. Period. And what a dazzling debut it is.
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You like stories about self discovery
2. You feel lost or hopeless about the direction of your life
3. You’re an artist who is struggling to find your voice
