It felt like I waited forever to see Knocked Up. More and more people just kept telling me that it was a good movie and despite my intent to see it in a timely manner, things just kept popping up to keep me out of the theater. Finally I just cleared an afternoon and went solo to a matinee.It was $5.75 well spent.
Judd Apatow (writer/producer) once again delivers a fine comedy. For those unfamiliar, he also wrote and produced the wildly popular 40 Year Old Virgin starring Steve Carell and while many seem to prefer that effort over Knocked Up, I hereby go on record to say that enjoyed this one a bit more. Virgin was good, but this one made me laugh more.
Knocked Up is the story of Ben (Seth Rogan) and Alison (Katherine Heigl) who come from completely places in life only to hook up for a one night stand after meeting in a nightclub. Its just a simple hook-up, or so it would seem. That is until 8 weeks later when Alison is suddenly feeling sick and gets some life altering news - she's pregnant. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that morning after the "deed" she very much regretted being with Ben. Can you smell that muchachos? That's awkward comedy!
Ben is not what one might refer to as a "mover and shaker". Ben is an illegal Canadian immigrant living with a bunch friends who are trying to launch a website that provides users with documentation for when their favorite actresses appear nude in movies. Ben is also not your male model specimen of a man - he's big, he's not popular and he's going effectively nowhere in life. Not to mention that after the sex, things were pretty awkward when talking with Alison.
Alison is upscale. She is professional and works for E! Entertainment News. She just landed the role of host on Talk Soup. Yes, the timing for having Ben's child couldn't be worse. Reluctantly, she contacts him to break the news over dinner. It doesn't take long for the sparks to start flying but out of the anxiety and confusion Ben and Alison decide to try and make things work between them.
In ways Knocked Up may be color by numbers, but there is an added dimension to the focus of the film, namely an examination of the nature of committed relationships. Its more than just awkward guy tries to do right by attractive girl, although there is plenty of that. Relationship is examined in parallel through the characters of Debbie and Pete, Alison's sister and brother-in-law. They are married (obviously) and have two kids and while really in a successful relationship have plenty of their own issues and bumps in the road. Alison and Ben end up looking to them, perhaps unwittingly, for advice and guidance. Of course Alison and Debbie are close but Ben ends up really connecting with Pete which culminates in them escaping for a wild weekend in Vegas where the male perspective on relationships is discussed quite comically.
Also a source of comedy in the film is Ben's troupe of house mates, a motley crew in their own right, they provide plenty of one-liners, much like Andy's co-workers in Virgin. The running gag (making fun of one of the guys for not shaving) had some great lines attributed to it!
In short, this was a well handled comedy with some genuine character. It wasn't your typical hollow comedy. Performances from Heigl and Rogan were excellent and I am quite happy that I was able to catch this one in the theater. Oh yeah, and as far as I know they live happily ever after. If you haven't seen it, put this on your list to rent. 8/10
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