The Apatow Team does it again

Rating: 9/10 (23 October 2008)

The 40 Year Old Virgin was one of my favorite comedies of all time, so naturally I had high hopes for Seth Rogen's debut as a leading actor. I walked out of the theater highly satisfied the first time I saw Knocked Up and went a second time in theaters, only to find that I enjoyed it even more. Much like The 40 Year Old Virgin, I found the movie very funny the first time I saw it, but it has only gotten funnier each time I have seen it. The first time I saw The 40 Year Old Virgin, I thought it hilarious, but not the funniest movie I'd ever seen. About 20 viewings later, I now think it might be. A similar thing happened to Knocked Up. When it made its run on HBO, I started watching pieces of it every time it came on and have probably seen the majority of it about eight or nine times by now. It now holds a special place in my heart next to The 40 Year Old Virgin as a rare comedy that manages to combine outrageously hilarious situations with real life characters.
Seth Rogen plays Ben Stone, a stoner slacker whose idea of a good time is smoking out of his bong and playing ping pong with his roommates. He is unemployed; his only money source is from a lawsuit over a guy who ran over his foot years ago, and his only "job" is preparing a website which tells you when your favorite actresses appear nude in movies. He is happy just drifting about in life until a one night stand with a beautiful stranger named Alison (Katherine Heigl) throws a wrench into his life. Alison is a rising employee for E!, but her life is thrown off track when her drunken night with Ben results in a pregnancy. The ensuing romance between the two consists of the bulk of the movie. The romance between the two is both believable and hilarious; the movie never gets mushy, as many romantic comedies do, and manages to find the same balance as in The 40 Year Old Virgin between vulgarity and hilarity.
I would rank Knocked Up just slightly below The 40 Year Old Virgin on the Apatow scale of greatness. Both movies have the rare quality of standing up after multiple viewings; in fact, both films only seem to get funnier the more times you watch them. This is due to a great script and great comedic timing by the actors, which enables you to quote the movie endlessly to your friends long after its over. Rarely has a day gone by in the last few years in which I have not quoted either Knocked Up, The 40 Year Old Virgin, or Superbad. Unlike most R rated comedies of recent years, Knocked Up isn't only appealing to teenage boys. This movie is funny to everybody, regardless of age or gender. While the humor is somewhat vulgar at times, it is there for a purpose besides simply being a series of sight gags. You really grow to care about the characters of Ben and Alison and their developing relationship. You'll also laugh along with them a whole lot.