30 Years to Life
Screening on Film
With Melissa De Sousa, Kadeem Hardison.
US, 2001, 35mm, color, 110 min.
This ensemble comedy follows the lives of a group of friends facing the emotional crisis that comes with turning thirty. The directorial debut of television writer Middleson, 30 Years to Life uses humor to probe the inner turmoil experienced by these successful urban African-American Gen-Xers as they confront the specter of adulthood and the grownup responsibilities of marriage, children and career. The set of intersecting narratives includes the romantic misadventures of Natalie (De Sousa), who seeks security in a relationship with a handsome black physician (Hardison), and the parallel journeys of her friends: an investment banker with a great portfolio but few prospects for companionship, a stand-up comedian whose future is more than a little uncertain, and a real-estate agent fighting a lifelong battle with her weight.