Name: 40 Years Young
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2022-03-10T00:00:00+00:00
Cast: Adal Ramones, Erick Elías, Gaby Espino, Sonia Couoh, Ximena Rubio

The opening shot of 40 Years Young lingers on Erick Elías’s César, his face a mask of midlife bewilderment, staring at a cake with the number 40 emblazoned across it. This is Pietro Loprieno’s attempt to grapple with the existential dread of turning forty, but what unfolds is less a sharp comedy and more an exercise in half-baked humor.

The film follows César, a chef on the verge of a midlife crisis, as he learns that his wife Naomi (Gaby Espino) has been harboring a secret that threatens to unravel their marriage. To cope, he throws himself into a culinary competition in Cancún with his best friend Paolo (Adal Ramones). The premise is ripe for sharp satire or poignant drama, but 40 Years Young squanders its potential.

What works, minimally, are the moments of genuine camaraderie between César and Paolo. Adal Ramones brings a welcome energy to the screen, offering some of the film’s few genuinely funny moments. His chemistry with Elías grounds the film in reality, even if their banter often feels more forced than spontaneous.

The culinary competition scenes, however, are where the film stumbles. Loprieno tries to inject tension into the contests, but the editing is choppy and the stakes feel artificially inflated. The culinary sequences lack the meticulous attention to detail that makes similar scenes in films like Ratatouille or Chef so compelling. Instead, they come off as perfunctory, a series of checkpoints the film must pass through to reach its predetermined conclusion.

The real misstep is the handling of César’s personal crisis. The revelation about his wife’s secret is treated with such heavy-handed melodrama that it undercuts any emotional resonance. Instead of exploring the nuanced complexities of betrayal and forgiveness, the film opts for broad strokes and simplistic resolutions. The supporting cast, including Sonia Couoh as Selina and Ximena Rubio as Amelia, are sidelined, their characters reduced to one-dimensional archetypes.

The pacing is another issue. At times, 40 Years Young feels interminable, with scenes dragging on without purpose or direction. Loprieno’s direction lacks the rhythm necessary to maintain engagement, and the film often feels like it’s marking time rather than building momentum toward a satisfying climax.

Ultimately, 40 Years Young is a missed opportunity. It has the ingredients for a compelling story—a midlife crisis, a culinary competition, a marital betrayal—but it fails to cook them into anything memorable. The humor falls flat more often than not, and the emotional beats lack depth.