The Forty-Year-Old Version

Probably the Roma Oscar lead to the decision. It makes the movie more impressive ? I don't know. It's a good production for a 40 yo woman story. Is it the black white cuz the lighting can be cut?

Excellent performances and a theme that crosses racial lines

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.

Radha's "this is forty" rap was about my life! Loved this film! Magical. I'm sure more creative artists can relate to this than one would think.comforted me.

GRADE: B- THIS FILM IS RECOMMENDED. IN BRIEF: A flawed but intriguing look at an artist's journey. JIM'S REVIEW: Artists are often told to make art based on what you know and that sage advice is exactly what Radha Blank did in her autobiographical indie debut entitled The Forty-Year-Old Version. This engaging comedy, filmed mostly in b&w and on a the smallest of budgets, depicts an artist's journey with many interesting characters and stops along the way. Ms. Blank directs, writes, and stars here, making an impressive triple-threat debut. She plays Radha, a struggling playwright unable to find success she drifts into the world of hiphop, her real passion. A 30 year-old prodigy, Radha has gone nowhere in these past ten years, except for her teaching job which helps to pay the bills. As she wrestles with self-doubt and depression, her latest artistic project improbably gets green-lighted for Broadway. This contrived plot device leads her and moviegoers to this question: Will the artist stay true to her own vision or sell out? It's a fictitious version of herself and any artist's on-going dilemma. Ms. Blank uses her real life experiences and unique talents to convey those two conflicting worlds quite effectively. As an actress, she is a commanding screen presence with some droll comic timing. Her screenplay creates an authentic world, one step from poverty and living off the gritty streets of Harlem. Her dialog has sparks of insight and wit. However, her depiction of her Caucasian characters in the film is slightly offensive though humorous. There is a a reverse Uncle Tomism subtly on display as these white stereotype characters become mere bobbleheads, walking cliches of ineptitude and silliness who are out of touch with the world and more concerned about their white privilege. In her directorial debut, Ms. Blank establishes her narrative well, but lets too many scenes go on past their expiration date, including a rap smackdown sequences that honors the craft but adds little to the story. The movie felt padded with too much attention to atmosphere and not enough on the plot structure. A shorter film version itself or more judicious editing by the filmmaker could have made the movie have greater impact. Peter Kim as her gay friend/agent Archie and Oswin Benjamin as D, her rapper friend and muse, provide strong support as does Reed Birney as J. Whitman, in a thankless role as the pompous producer of her play. The Forty-Year-Old Version is as crude and raw as its profane language and liberal use of n-words, but there is much to say and hear from a promising and gifted artist. One looks forward to her next project.

The story lies from the east coast to the west coast,the final point is sundance.

Dang, Radha Blank slays in this movie about a black woman playwright trying to keep her voice and be a success. It made me think about so many of my friends in decades past -- talented black women playwrights, directors and actors who made brilliant work but weren't heard or known on a large scale. This movie speaks for all of them. It speaks to me, as an aging creative person. Watch it for the sharp dialogue, compelling characters and joy of seeing a talented black woman saying her truth.

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.

This is what cinema is about, I don't want say too much other than this movie is gonna make you feel whole again! I went in blind you should too

The film industry has given audiences of cop shows a dump truck load of profanity over the past four decades, but the coarse language of high school children in this black and white indy film is somewhat shocking. I haven't been in high school for many years, but, if I were teaching, the language would be cleaner. Or the students would have to go somewhere else to vent, The music is great, and the camera work is exceptional. The acting isn't good, and the script is flat. I would not recommend this film to anyone. Comedy is hard, and this film did not make me laugh.