Dare I say one of the best comedies of our generation?

Rating: 9/10 (5 August 2009)

It's true, I said it. I think this movie is a fine piece of work and should (and probably will) go down as one of the best and funniest movies of the decade (if not our generation).
What makes this movie work so well is the writing and characters. You have Ben Stone, who is played wonderfully by Seth Rogen, who sits on his ass all day smoking weed and designing a website that shows you what time in a movie the female star shows some boobage. You also have Allison (Katherine Heigl) who is a successful 20 something that is more mature than Ben and just wants to try to make the relationship work out for the both of them and for the baby. Debbie and Pete (Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd, respectively) make up the "main" supporting cast. Debbie is Allison's sister who is a real bitch and who can't stand Allison to be with Ben. Pete is Debbie's husband, and he quickly forms a bond with Ben and they come to relate to each others' difficulties in kids and marriage. Every character is developed well, and most of them come out of this experience a new person.
It is Ben's duty to mature throughout the film, and that is exactly what he does. It is great to see Ben become more adult as the film goes on, and for Allison to learn to appreciate him for what he is. It's a true and down to earth movie that doesn't give up on the laughs, either.
The movie is quite crude and inappropriate, but by the end of the movie, some of the women in the crowd might have tears in their eyes and the film becomes more heartfelt. The genius of the movie is how Apatow can make you laugh so hard in one scene, but also have genuine feelings in the characters.
It is Apatow's more mature work, because the film deals with the realities of marriage and friendships, and it plays it realistically. People change and grow, and in the film, the characters have real problems. That's what makes it so good. It is a hilarious and crude comedy, but underneath the characters have problems and it deals with real world difficulties.
Unlike Virgin and Funny People, I didn't find the movie too long at all. Every scene was nicely timed, and I felt every scene deserved its place in the movie. The direction is great, as it is paced nicely and Apatow gives his performers enough room to go about their thing. He lets them party, but when he needs to them to act, he is able to get it out of them in a believable way.
Knocked Up, which I think deep down is Apatow's most mature work, is also his best.