A decent comedy

Rating: 7/10 (21 March 2008)

For Ben (Seth Rogen) and Alison (Katherine Heigl) a drunken roll in the hay leads to an unexpected pregnancy. Alison decides to keep the baby but can the prospective parents forge an 'opposites attract' romance?
I can't put my finger on it but there's something about this film that doesn't quite measure up to Apatow's previous effort, "The 40 Year Old Virgin". The film reunites a few cast members from that film and picks up a few new faces along the way. Seth Rogen is consistently funny and has good chemistry with Katherine Heigl but I wouldn't say that he's as talented as Steve Carrell. Ben's circle of loser friends is an entertaining bunch as well. Actually, the only performance that isn't up to snuff is Harold Ramis (as Ben's dad), who illustrates why he should stick to writing/directing.
The drop in quality may be due to a script that isn't as funny as "The 40 Year Old Virgin". The film tries to strike an emotional chord as well but is only successful some of the time as it treads the fine line between maudlin and sincere. The story also feels a little padded with the marital trials and tribulations of Alison's sister, which add little to the story.
The directing & music are unobtrusive and otherwise not worth remarking upon.
It was apparently the unrated version that I saw but really there was nothing in it to differentiate it from the usual R-rated fare. If you just want a forgettable laugh this film will fit the bill.