Knocked Up Review

 Judd Apatow's The 40-Year-Old Virgin was a raunchy funny update of an 80s sex comedy that benefited from great charismatic performances and writing that didn't sacrifice character development for sight gags.   ( Apatow jumped to films from television's Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared)

I was not expecting very much out of Knocked Up.  I figured we'd get a cruder version of an 80s John Hughes' movie or the kind of movie Steve Martin keeps making.  I was pleasantly surprised that the film features some wonderful performances, and like 40 Year Virgin, gives us characters that are pretty believable and doesn't sacrifice their development for a cheap gag or cheap laugh.   There's still plenty of raunch and too much run of the mill frat boy kind of drug humor, but some of it is funny.  There's also a dose of too sweet sentiment too-but it works.

If I believed the reviews that it was going to be a knee slapping funny film and one of the best of year I would have been very dissapointed, because it's charming and funny, with a few laugh out loud moments-but it's not unique or original enough to get too excited about.   I guess there's been so many bad movies of late, that a half-way decent one seems even better.

Seth Rogen is a stoned slacker who winds up bedding a gorgeous, television producer (Kathering Heigl) who is way out of his league.  They get drunk, go to bed and she regrets the evening when she wakes up the next day.  Then she discovers she's pregnant and has to get back in touch with Rogen and figure out how their relationship should work now that they will be parents.   They attempt to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but love doesn't seem to be blossoming.    Rogen lives with a bunch of not going to grow up frat boys (played by Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Martin Starr and Jason Segel).  Can Rogen grow up and become more responsible?

He's an overweight slacker, she's a pretty career minded young lady.  Can she 'settle' for him?  Can he become more than a charismatic loser?

Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann play Heigl's brother-in-law and sister, and quite frankly it would have been a better, funnier and more interesting movie if their characters were front and center and Rogen and Heigl were the supporting characters.   We've seen most of the Rogen and Heigl story before and while the writing and acting is much better than you would find in say a John Hughes film, that's what a lot of the movie reminded me of.

Knocked Up goes through the most of the phases of pregnancy.  The situation is taken seriously, but comic moments are mined in almost every scene.  There's a good ensemble feel to the film with supporting characters adding color, spice, and humor to scenes that would have been very dull and static otherwise.   Rudd steals the movie, but it takes a while.  For me what makes the movie is the sequence where Rogen and Rudd go to Vegas and decide to do some mushrooms before seeing Cirque de Soleil.    Rudd's comments about the chair had me on the floor. 

The DVD offers 2 discs and is loaded with behind the scenes footage, screen tests with actors who didn't play the lead role, Apatow's daughters running amok on the set, video diaries, a make-believe argument, and a somewhat interesting commentary track.   None of the extras are essential, but it's a generous package for fans of the movie.

Don't set your expectations too high and you'll have good time with this one.   Since the movie has been over-praised by many  I'll round down my 3 and a half stars to 3 for some balance.