More raunchy than funny with a really annoying leading lady

Rating: 5/10 (12 March 2015)

From the mind of Judd Apatow came Knocked Up, a formulaic romantic comedy that provides some sporadic laughs thanks to the film's unconventional leading man.
Seth Rogen plays Ben Stone, a party animal and all-around bum who meets a tightly wound television reporter for E named Allison Scott (Katherine Heigl) who he meets one night in a bar. Though the meeting doesn't exactly set off fireworks, the two do go home together and have sex. Ben is thrown for a loop a couple of months later when Allison gets in touch with him to inform Ben that she is pregnant with his child.
The rest of this 2007 film pretty much follows the formula you would expect from such a tired plot line except for the fact that Ben Stone is completely clueless regarding pregnancy and fatherhood and all that it entails and watching Ben navigate these very choppy waters provides the majority of the entertainment this film offers.
Rogen is very funny as Stone but has no chemistry with Heigl, whose character is pretty unappealing and swallowing Stone's attraction to her is a bit difficult. Apatow's nutty rep company provide solid support, especially his wife, Leslie Mann as Allison's sister, Paul Rudd as her husband, and Jason Segel, Jonah Hill, and Jay Baruchel as Ben's burn-out frineds. There is also a lovely cameo by the late Harold Ramis as Ben's father. Like most of Apatow's work, the screenplay is overly complex and the film is a little too long, but Rogen and company still manage to make it a relatively entertaining ride.