Hailed by the English-speaking world on both sides of the Atlantic, this movie could be the best romance-comedy of 2007

Rating: Null/10 (26 August 2007)

A story about childbirth is almost a guaranteed hit, unless it is hopelessly bungled up. No matter how many time you have seen it, the wonders and warmth of a childbirth scene never fails to bring a lump to your throat. Judd Apatow, who penned and directed the immensely successful hit "The 40 year old virgin", is too good a screenwriter and director to bungle up this one. "Knocked up", following the footsteps of "virgin", becomes the sleeper romance-comedy hit of this summer, receiving overwhelming applause from the English speaking world on both sides of the Atlantic.
Despite its crude title and raunchy opening, "Knocked up" touches and amuses at the right moments. The storyline is simplicity itself: a one-night stand giving rise to an unexpected pregnancy leads towards a relationship that survives trails and blossoms into a happy ending, brought about by a surefire childbirth scene. End of story.
The relatively unknown cast (to the big screen, at least), drawn mainly from popular TV stars as well as "The 40 year old virgin", ranges from likable to lovable. While theirs may not be household names in an average moviegoer's household (if they don't watch much TV), these actor perform. Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen play the unlikely couple Alison and Ben, she an up-and-rising young TV professional just promoted to host celebrity interviews (including Steve Carell, star of "40 year old virgin" in a cameo appearance), and he a good-for-nothing dud stuck with a bunch of losers and half-freaks in a stupid Internet project they've dreamed up. The usual sidekick couple Debbie (Alison's sister) and her husband Pete are played by Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd who are so good (particularly Mann) that they carry their own story of an outwardly model couple who nevertheless have their own problems. Ben's bunch provides the expected smutty humour. There is also a huge cast of excellent supporting actors. Harold Ramis plays Ben's father, with the "wise old man" persona. Real-life daughters of Apatow and Mann, Iris and Maude Apatow, play the little daughters of Pete and Debbie in the movie. The older one (Iris Apatow, I presume) steals a few scenes, particularly the one with her reaction when informed that prick means penis. Contributing to the grand finale scene in the delivery room is the portrayal of the delivery doctor by Ken Jeong who is an MD in real life, as well as a comedy actor, both stage and screen.
One critic sums this movie up best, by saying that this movie made him laugh, almost cry and, above all, made him happy.