A Drama Disguised as a Comedy

Rating: 7/10 (7 October 2007)

Ben Stone goes out partying one night and ends up sleeping with a woman who has had a bit too much to drink. After getting "knocked up" she decides to keep the baby, even though she's a successful working woman and Stone is a drug-using, unemployed slacker. Can they come to terms before the baby is born? I went into this film being told it's the funniest film of 2007. And I ended up seeing a drama or romance with some funny scenes thrown in, but hardly the funniest film of the year. (Those who promoted it have reneged on their claim after giving it a second viewing.) So, I was mislead... but it was still a good film.
I just wanted to say that -- if you came for a comedy, you might be disappointed. The scenes with Paul Rudd are pretty funny, and the running gag of making beard jokes kept me laughing, but more often than not it is two people trying to make a hopeless situation workable. And that was confusing for me -- was this a comedy or a drama? Like "Click", the comedy seemed overshadowed by the seriousness, but the seriousness was weakened by the comedy. maybe it was just me.
I still think this is a good film and worth seeing. Especially if you enjoyed "40-Year Old Virgin". We have Seth Rogen, Judd Apatow, Paul Rudd and a little bit of Steve Carrell, so it's the usual suspects here. I think I found "40 Year" more satisfying as a whole, but the beard parts of this one were funnier than anything in the previous film. So, they each have redeemable qualities. If you didn't like "40 Year" then you're likely to be disappointed by this steady stream of cuss words and drug talk.