Judd Apatow's child-murder joke will remain in “This Is 40†when it arrives in theaters on Friday.
Despite Hollywood's scramble to be sensitive after the school massacre in Newtown, Conn., - crude television comedies pulled, red carpets for premieres of violent movies canceled - there is a difference between reacting sensibly and overreacting, according to Mr. Apatow, who has declined to remove an unfortunately timed scene from his new Universal Pictures comedy, “This Is 40.â€
In the scene a character played by Albert Brooks sprays his triplets with a garden hose. “Line up! Line up for murder! Come on! Who wants to be killed?†he jokes, before one child shouts, “I do!†Then another wants to join in the fun, “Murder me!†In the end, Mr. Brooks says: “All right. The kids are murdered. That will save us some mo ney.â€
Mr. Apatow said in a statement on Wednesday: “I wrote this script two years ago. That line is spoken by a sarcastic father kidding with his children. In light of recent events, I understand if some people might make an unfortunate association or put it in a context in which it was not intended.â€
