Apatow makes a funny movie with a good message

Rating: 9/10 (22 May 2010)

Writer-director Judd Apatow has shown some brilliant work with his directing debut in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. His sophomoric work in Knocked Up trumps that as he shows how much he has progressed as a writer and director. He has shown some great directing in setting up the scene and have us get to know who these characters are and how they change.
We start out with Seth Rogen as Ben Stone, a guy who likes to hang out with his buddies, drink beer, and smoke crack. Apatow then shows us Katherine Heigl as Allison Scott, a high achieving E! employee who is moving up in the ranks and is asked to become a reporter. Both of our leads in Rogen and Heigl show us how brilliant they are at playing these polar opposite people. Rogen gives a breakthrough performance that made him famous. Heigl shows that she can do a leading comedic role and I find it hard to believe this role went through dozens of actresses before it landed on Heigl.
Ben's friends are a lot like him. They also like to get drunk, stoned, and are a fun-loving bunch. Allison's relatives are a lot like her in the sense that they are responsible.
Things come unglued when Ben and his friends are at a club the same night that Allison and her sister Debbie are there. Ben and Allison meet and hit it off. They enjoy a one night stand together and don't see each other for eight weeks. At this time we find out that Allison is pregnant with Ben's child.
This causes Ben to take an even greater interest in Allison and make him act more mature. He starts to make a crossover from being a stoner to being a responsible guy. Later, we find out that Ben hasn't been as responsible as we thought when we find out that Ben stashed away the books about going through life when expecting a baby. After a crazy weekend in Vegas, Ben decides to actually be responsible with his life and try to win back Allison. Ben moves out of the house from his buddies, gets a legitimate job, and reads the books so he knows what to expect with Allison. Allison takes him back, gives birth to a baby girl, and moves in with Ben.
Writer-director Judd Apatow knows how to make good heartfelt comedies with characters who we as an audience can relate to. I also like that despite the raunchiness and content of his movies, he can send out a good message. With Knocked Up, Apatow shows that any ordinary guy can get a hot girl.