This Is 40

Judd Apatow’s background is primarily in television, and This Is 40 is the equivalent of a spin-off.

In cinematic terms, it’s more of a follow-up than a sequel to his acclaimed 2007 comedy Knocked Up, with the main couple from that film nowhere to be found.

Instead, it picks up a few years after the first film left off, and chronicles the affluent lives of Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) as they tackle parenting issues, family squabbles, and the dreaded titular age.

The problem is that while there are some big laughs and witty observations related to mid-life crises, the uneven film sometimes feels more like leftovers than fresh territory.

In the film, Pete is a fledgling record-label executive who promotes 1970s rocker Graham Parker (playing himself), while Debbie owns a boutique at which the employees might be embezzling money.

Their relationship is tested after revelations surface about the difficulties both are having with their fathers, the impact their bickering is having on their two daughters, and their dealings with various physical and sexual inadequacies.

The film is certainly a family affair for Apatow. Mann is the filmmaker’s wife, and their daughters, Maude and Iris, play Pete and Debbie’s children in the film, reprising their smaller roles from Knocked Up. Maude contributes some amusing moments as an acerbic teenager who is obsessed with the TV show “Lost.”

Indeed, many of the best gags — and some of the raunchiest crowd-pleasers — come from the supporting players, who likely were given plenty of freedom to improvise. They include Albert Brooks as Pete’s mooching father who has three young children of his own, and Melissa McCarthy as a mother who gets into a heated exchange with both Pete and Debbie at their children’s school. Other cameo appearances are sprinkled throughout.

The kinder and gentler Apatow might be in his comfort zone here, working with familiar themes and characters, and some of the humor feels exaggerated yet truthful. But for the audience, it might feel a little too familiar, and even self-indulgent, as in a rehashing of jokes and scenarios that were funnier the first time around.

This Is 40 might be best summed up by Debbie, who in an early scene explains to a young employee (Charlyne Yi) at her boutique: “I’m not comparing you. You’re just not as good.”

Rated R, 134 minutes.