Bright, likable comedy...a bit too long, but sharp-fanged and sweet-natured

Rating: 7/10 (18 October 2009)

Writer-director Judd Apatow easily tapped into a vastly-commercial comedic market with this film (and 2005's "The 40 Year Old Virgin") which even the popular TV sitcoms hadn't discovered: a way to bring loutish 'guy' behavior into the embraceable mainstream and mix it in cheerfully with the responsible working class. Unemployed, feckless Canadian living in Los Angeles, into bong blasts and movies with naked chicks, unintentionally gets an attractive television newswoman pregnant and forces himself into rethinking his life. Apatow surrounds central couple Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl with colorful support, from Leslie Mann's Debbie, a tightly-wound sister and suspicious wife to Paul Rudd, to Harold Ramis as Seth Rogen's "go with the flow" cool dad. The picture does run long, however it doesn't necessarily overstay its welcome; Apatow rushes through a few meandering excursions, always with something surprising and funny waiting in the wings. He's also careful not to push the film's nicer, more sentimental moments too far--this is definitely a rude, foul-mouthed modern comedy, yet one with a big heart. *** from ****