The Forty-Year-Old Version

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The Forty-Year-Old Version

R

2020

2h 3m

Comedy

Drama

Music

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

135 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Radha, a down-on-her-luck NY playwright, is desperate for a breakthrough before 40. But when she foils what seems like her last shot at success, she's left with no choice but to reinvent herself as rapper RadhaMUSPrime. The Forty-Year-Old Version follows Radha as she vacillates between the worlds of Hip Hop and theater on a quest to find her true voice.

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Critics Consensus

The Forty-Year-Old Version opens a compelling window into the ebbs and flows of the artist's life -- and announces writer-director-star Radha Blank as a major filmmaking talent with her feature debut.

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Violet Lucca

Sight & Sound

Feb 12, 2021

The Forty-Year-Old Version paints a loving portrait of parts of New York City that aren't represented with such care, if at all, in narrative films of this scale.

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Robert Daniels

Polygon

Feb 12, 2021

Everything about The Forty-Year-Old Version feels fresh.

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Soraya Nadia McDonald

Andscape

Jan 20, 2021

The Forty-Year-Old Version offers a refreshing, unpretentious and often hilarious take on middle-aged Black womanhood.

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Patrick Beatty

ABC4 Utah

Jul 23, 2025

It's a powerhouse film.

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Harry Solomons

Loud and Clear Reviews

Jan 8, 2025

3.5/5

The Forty-Year-Old Version may not land every punch it throws, but there’s a great deal to be taken from an incredibly fresh picture.

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M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

Sep 3, 2022

4.5/5

Blank’s film is a fearless, razor-sharp comedy about keeping the gentrification out of art.

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R T

@RT34428227 Jul 26, 2026

Perfection. No notes, all praise. Human interest storytelling at its peak. I’m from Detroit and this movie feels like home. Fell in love with Radha, D, Peter, and the rest of these characters early, and thoroughly enjoyed being a fly on the wall of their world til the end. I cried, laughed, felt warm & fuzzy, watched the movie again two days later, and multiple times since. The film industry and world needs more authentic & heartfelt art like Radha Blank’s. As a fan of this film, my only disappointment is I’ve been craving more of Radha Blank’s pen and direction for six years. In the meantime, I’ll watch this story over and over again with enough time in-between to forget enough details to get as close as possible to the high of the first watch. PS: If you love Black women even 1/8th as much as I do, this is two hours of heaven on earth.

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Chet Bashari A

@Bash_Sr Dec 6, 2025

Forty Year Old Version is utterly brilliant! What an amazing accomplishment! I laughed, nodded, sighed, smiled and hollered, a lot! Lovely film! Brooklyn, Harlem, NY stand up!!

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Gabriel E

@RT17671154 Sep 1, 2025

This movie is overrated, it is not bad but not great either. The whole movie is in black and white for no reason. This movie was released in 2020 not in 1940.

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PL W

@RT12021233 Aug 17, 2025

Slow and boring … great sleeping pill but as a movie nope

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Dani R

@RT06505002 Aug 13, 2025

interesting take. get's a bit cliché and a loses tention sometimes. emotionally shallow. misses depth.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 2, 2025

Funny in 2 hours and 3 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Some Drug Use, Brief Nudity, Sexual Content and Pervasive Language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Synopsis

Radha, a down-on-her-luck NY playwright, is desperate for a breakthrough before 40. But when she foils what seems like her last shot at success, she's left with no choice but to reinvent herself as rapper RadhaMUSPrime. The Forty-Year-Old Version follows Radha as she vacillates between the worlds of Hip Hop and theater on a quest to find her true voice.

Director: Radha Blank
Screenwriter: Radha Blank
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Hillman Grad
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Pervasive Language|Brief Nudity|Some Drug Use)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 9, 2020
Runtime: 2h 3m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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