judd apatow’s (40 year old virgin, freaks and geeks) newest comedy again brings together his favourite actors (seth rogen, paul rudd, jason segel, etc) for knocked up. seth rogen plays the lead, ben, alongside katherine heigl (grey’s anatomy) as alison. the two meet at a bar one night, have a one night stand, and alison ends up pregnant. the word abortion is never quite mentioned in this film and is clearly not considered by alison, even after her mother subtly suggests it. once the film hits this point, it is essentially about struggling to keep an unlikely relationship between ben, a stoner, and alison, a successful woman working in television, together. i think the film is so accessible for so many people because the humour comes from very relatable situations that occur in relationships and during pregnancy. ben knows he must take responsibility but finds it initially difficult to leave behind his immature lifestyle, living with roommates and working on a porn website. the two also deal with more specific issues, like feeling unattractive during sex while alison is pregnant. ben and alison’s relationship is held up against alison’s sister, debbie (leslie mann, apatow’s wife) and her husband, pete’s (paul rudd) marriage. they deal with similar problems with communication and the men and women each confide in each other, all realizing that they are imperfect. i think apatow’s films are successful because he writes realistically; the interactions between friends are so believable, and potentially involve a lot of improvisation amongst real friends. while seth rogen and katherine heigl are charismatic together and well cast in this film, i think the supporting cast is just as crucial in making knocked up one of the funniest films i’ve seen so far this year.
watch the trailer
