Apatow knocks it out of the park. Could it be better than The 40 Year Old Virgin???

Rating: 10/10 (2 June 2007)

Knocked Up sounded just like The 40 Year Old Virgin did when I first heard about it. Raunchy, disrespectful, vulgar, and stupid. I was wrong about The 40 Year Old Virgin, and I was wrong about Knocked Up. What you've got is by far the best comedy of the year, because it's clever, romantic, sweet, and most of all, absolutely hilarious.
Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) is the typical loser. He smokes pot, watches nude scenes in movies, and sits on his rear all day doing nothing. Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl looking absolutely gorgeous) has everything going for her. She just got promoted at the E! Network, and she is finally ready to make a life of her own. When Alison's sister (Leslie Mann) takes her out to celebrate, Ben and Alison meet and there is an instant connection. Many drinks and hours later, the unlikely pair head back to her house for some fun. Fast forward 8 weeks. Alison finds out she's pregnant by the loser Ben, but the two vow to try and make a relationship work between them for the sake of their child.
Now, first off, this story could actually be written as a dramatic movie/coming of age story. How Judd Apatow got so much comedy out of this is proof of his comedic genius. He is the King of Comedy. There are religion jokes (great all the way through), sex jokes, fart jokes, pot jokes, relationship jokes, and everything else you can think of. They are nonstop and vary between witty and just plain stupid, and that's the brilliance of it. The cameos of Ryan Seacrest and James Franco are unforgettable. Not a scene goes by without a laugh, even serious ones. Apatow's direction and the timing of actors like Rogen, Mann, and Paul Rudd allow for those humorous moments to weave seamlessly with the drama, not taking anything away from it. It really is brilliant directing and writing on the part of Judd Apatow. Wonderful job.
The actors are equally as brilliant, especially Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd. Rogen does a great job of building a character. When we meet Ben, he's a lazy, sleazy slacker, but Rogen evolves him as the film goes on into a sweet and good man. He's good, but he still has problems. The film will also delve into the things men don't understand about women and vice versa. At first, you'll like only Alison, but by the end you'll love both of them. Katherine Heigl has a knack for inserting drama into stupid comedies and making them better. She really knows how to take a director's advice and make the best out of it. She is extremely likable as Alison, and yes, her looks definitely help her, even though she spends a majority of the movie pregnant. Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd are absolutely hysterical as the reluctantly married couple. Rudd gives one of the strongest supporting performances in a comedy I've ever seen. Every scene between Rudd and Rogen is unmissable. Rudd has some of the best comedic timing in the business, and it's on display at its best here. Harold Ramis is also great as Ben's father, as are Jonah Hill and Jason Segel (a Craig Bierko look-a-like) in roles as Ben's friends. His 4 friends account for some of the best jokes in the movie.
The only faults I find with Knocked Up are its runtime (just about 2hrs 10mins) and the fact that it is eerily similar to The 40 Year Old Virgin. The male characters in each movie are each thrown into a situation they don't want to be in, each male character has 4 friends supporting him all the way, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, and Jonah Hill are in both movies, and even some of the jokes are recycled. The fact of the matter is, if you liked The 40 Year Old Virgin, you'll like Knocked Up. It really is a great comedy that shouldn't be missed. It's also an excellent date movie...if you're old enough. This is a very R rated movie, not for anyone under 17 or 18. Go see it while there's lots of people in the theater, trust me.
9/10 --spy