Knocked Up

Very rarely does a movie hit sex, pregnancy, love and marriage as hilarious, honest and raw as this movie. People cuss when they fight, sex doesn't seem to go how you want and the married couple seems to go through every emotion possible and it all happens with incredibly hilarious dialogue, solid performances and with a very sweet genuine nature. Normally when comedies go over an hour and 40 minutes, I worry because they start to fall apart, but this movie will keep you in stitches for the entire 2 hrs. Fresh off the success of The 40 year old Virgin, Writer/ Director Judd Apatow has created comedy gold yet again and he manages to do this one with very limited fart jokes or vomit jokes. Also off the success of "Virgin" Seth Rogen gets to step into the shoes of leading man as he plays an incredible slacker who hits the jack pot when he gets a one night stand with Katherine Heigl. The fact that she is far prettier than he is is not lost on the characters or us. One night of fun turns into pregnancy and our two main characters are forced to grow up in a hurry and face life, together. That is the basic plot, but it isn't really the plot that keeps this bad boy moving.


Seth has 4 friends (all played by Judd Apatow regulars) and the scenes in which the 5 guys are sitting around smoking pot and ragging on each other are truly spectacular. The guys have an obvious chemistry, having worked together on either Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared or "Virgin" and it is impossible to tell how much of this is acting and how much Apatow just set a camera in front of these guys and let them go. One of the friends has been dared not to cut his hair or shave for a year and the jokes about that come throughout the film and are eerily similar to the "You know how I know you are gay" jokes from "Virgin," Another stand out from that movie who shines here is the always brilliant Paul Rudd. No one in film has the presence, delivery and charm that Rudd has when it comes to comedy. He has a way of playing the straight man without making him feel dull around the bigger characters. His subtle delivery and just the slightest roll of the eyes can be the best moment in any given scene. Rudd takes part in the side plot of Heigl's brother-in-law, trapped in a bad marriage to Heigl's sister. The couple married because they had a kid and now have two kids and struggle every day to make it work. It gives credence to Heigl's hesitation to jumping into a relationship with Rogen and never feels like a boring side plot just to make the movie longer.


Everything in this movie works but it is the characters that give the movie heart. Rogen is very good when asked to do something other than crack a joke and makes all of us "average" looking guys look good by turning in a strong and likable performance. The writing doesn't just have him roll over for this hot girl, but you can tell he loves her. For Heigl's part, she was very good. I forgot I was watching Izzie from Grey's anatomy and just enjoyed her being nearly on edge the entire movie. Also, it never looks ridiculous that she could love someone less attractive than she is because of how tender she played her role. The supporting characters all have their moments to shine as well. The bouncer at the club just killed me in his monologue and even the assistant at Heigl's job had some fierce lines and impeccable delivery. James Franco, Ryan Seacrest and Steve Carrell all get great cameos with Seacrest shining as a jack ass version of himself, showing he does not take himself too seriously. The one-liners are smart and the pop culture references don't seem out of place and whole movie just feels real.


The plot takes predictable turns but the dialogue that gets them there is never predictable as the characters are not afraid of getting very nasty with each other, like real people do. The pregnant sex may be the most hilarious attempt at sex in movie history and the birth will give you a view on birth that is not shown in movies or on TV. Yes, the movie does have its fair share of crude and lewd behavior but underneath it is a real heart of a movie. The friends all care about each other and the closing moments in the waiting room really show this. Watching Rogen's character grow from a pot head who watches nude scenes all day into a man who is ready to care for a child is wonderfully done and watching Heigl shift from a very career driven woman into a woman ready to be in love is just great to see. This is the kind of comedy people should see and the kind of comedy people should quote for years to come.