Why do we think this stuff is funny?

Rating: 1/10 (21 January 2008)

Hollywood's formula for comedy today is, with few exceptions, a slap in the face to movie goers who actually have to pay to watch this drivel. It's pretty simple. The men,as always, have I.Q.'s less than 90 and operate under the belief that their behavior is appropriate for all situations, or worse yet, "cute" and endearing to the female of the species. The women, on the other hand, appear smart (well sort of), mature (but only in comparison to the men) and competent (but not for long!). However, this movie is an equal opportunity offender as the women quickly get dragged into the abyss and are exposed as facilitators of male behavior at best, or just "part of the gang" at worst. The story really doesn't matter because we'll be laughing too hard to keep up with any annoying details, plot points or nuance that could make this anywhere near an "intelligent comedy." And this, Hollywood informs us, makes for a great night at the movies and is, after all, what we want. And, for those who think that things are only funny when you're drunk or stoned and like their characters that way, Hollywood is right on the mark.
Well, this one couldn't be more formulaic and touches all the bases. Our male lead is an immature, self-centered, 23 year old slacker who spends all his time (of course he has no job, what would be the fun in that?) smoking pot and watching porn. He is supported in this mindless endeavor by his equally hilarious roommates who deliver all the stoner and toilet humor we could want. Our female lead, is a smart, beautiful career woman who is quickly rendered incredible by actually falling for this loser who gets her (yes, you guessed it!) "knocked up." She soon looses her job and spends her time helping her boyfriend "review" adult movies proving, once again, that comedy is best when everybody gets stupid.
And, you know what? The acting wasn't bad. Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl did all they could with this stinker of a script. This movie puts to rest, once and for all, the question of which is worse: bad acting or bad writing. Unless you think there is an inherent humor in everybody "gettin' stoopid," then there is absolutely nothing funny about this movie. If, in reality, men were as childish as this and women fell for it, there would be no one laughing. But, I guess that's why they call it comedy and why humor means something different for everybody. But aren't there enough humorous situations in life that we could play on without having to resort to characterizing ourselves as idiots? This one does not pass the "What Would The Aliens Think If They Saw This" test.
This movie may have made an attempt to touch on an appropriate subject: the choice to have a baby instead of an abortion. Of course, there's nothing "funny" about that so they glossed over it (in about 30 seconds of screen time) and concentrate instead on moronic humor and completely unbelievable human interaction that is all stupidity based. But that 30 seconds of screen time was enough to have the critics calling this mess a "smart comedy."
The movie does succeed in making one (unintended) point: if people this irresponsible bring children into the world, we're all in trouble.