Judd Apatow's crowning glory

Rating: 8/10 (29 January 2008)

Cinema in the summer of 2007 belonged to Judd Apatow. While audiences everywhere were becoming excited and disappointed in equal measure to the high-profile likes of Spider Man 3 and The Simpsons Movie, Apatow was bringing truly rewarding films to the table in the shape of Knocked Up and Superbad. Of the two, it seems that Knocked Up had the highest expectations surrounding it as early reports of a never-ending laugh-riot began to circulate amidst some ugly controversy regarding the abortion debate. Now the dust has settled, it's still clear that this funny little pregnancy adventure is an excellent film. Crude, foul mouthed and brimming over with pop culture references, it doesn't provide as many big belly laughs as you'd hope but instead provides a warm and intelligent debate on heterosexual relationships that find themselves having to deal with an unexpected third party.
In some respects, Apatow is becoming Kevin Smith's successor - he writes movies that are true to his own experiences which a lot of people will be able to relate to, not to mention returning to the same cast and crew several times over. Stepping up to the plate here is Seth Rogen, best known for scene stealing supporting turns in You, Me and Dupree and Apatow's own 40 Year Old Virgin. He plays 23 year old man child Ben Stone, an unemployed, pot smoking layabout who manages through a combination of alcohol, charm and sheer luck to cop off with TV career girl Alison Scott (Katherine Hiegl) in a nightclub. His intoxicated mix of joy and "oh thank god it's been a while" relief however results in a miscommunication regarding birth control and two months later, she contacts him again to let him know she's carrying his child.
From here, the film charts the giddying highs and terrifying lows of pregnancy remarkably well and it is to Apatow's eternal credit that he manages to voice both sex's anxiety in a convincing way. Ben is distraught that his days of booze, pot and porn may be over but simultaneously determined to stand by Alison and be a good father. Alison meanwhile frets about her looks, career and the fact that she might have to end up with a hairy overweight slob for the rest of her life. This is reflected in the form of Pete and Debbie (Paul Rudd and Leslie "Mrs Apatow" Mann), a slightly older married couple who provide a snapshot of how Ben and Alison may turn out. This results not only in some revealing insights about modern relationships but also some very funny and touching scenes. Ben and Pete's trip to Las Vegas for instance is terrific, the pair going on a hallucinogen fuelled wander before a freak out in a hotel room that ends in Pete's revelation of his marriage's big picture.
That isn't to say Knocked Up is all sensible observations and witty dialogue though and there are still some big laughs to be had, most of them provided by Ben's stoner flatmates. A lot of the jokes are very smutty, but they support the story rather than drag it down and they are never puerile simply for the point of being puerile. Apatow isn't above shocking audiences though and some of the camera angles in the climactic birth scene are likely to elicit howls of "I can't believe they filmed that," especially from the women among you.
It's a shame then that Knocked Up's reputation was tarnished somewhat by the media as this is neither a pro-life propaganda piece nor a riotous comedy that'll leave you crying with laughter. Just because a film is about pregnancy doesn't mean it has to have an agenda and when it's as sweet, touching and true to life as this one, it's a very pedantic complaint to make. If you want to laugh so much it hurts, go and rent Superbad (trust me, it's awesome) but if you want a romantic comedy that's so good you don't even realise it is one, this is the film to get.