Didn't knock it out of the park but was amusing enough

Rating: 7/10 (11 June 2009)

Say what you will about writer/director Judd Apatow but beyond the raunchy, crude and drug humor usually seen in his comedies, there's usually also a lot of heart and honesty. That guy might even be a closet romantic for all we know. I didn't like "Knocked up" as much as his other efforts (40 year-old virgin, Superbad, etc) but I did have a good time watching it. I found it often amusing but rarely hilarious. The premise of a poor overweight average-looking slacker impregnating the hot ambitious successful blonde could be material for lots of dumb easy jokes but it does manage to make the average guy (Seth Rogen) likable in an earnest childish way and we do see how the blonde (Katherine Heigl) in question might not dismiss him right out the bat. This being an American comedy, I kind of expected abortion not to be brought up at all but I was pleasantly surprised at how tastefully it was talked about. The humor does rely on clever dialog and the differences between this ill-assorted pair, more specifically on how unsophisticated and irresponsible Seth Rogen seems to be. In one of the funniest scenes, he explains what he does for a living in a totally honest non self-conscious way while the audience and the blonde roll their eyes.
Seth's character also has a bunch of slacker roommates who do help raise the raunchy pop-culture humor level. However, as much as I liked the running joke with the beard, I thought 2 of the friends in question (the bearded guy and the mustache guy) lacked on-screen presence and charisma (although I know they're not supposed to be charismatic). Heigl in the leading female role was natural and charming playing as the straight (wo)man role to Rogen's funny man. The chemistry between them was good and I did enjoy their character development. The women (thinking specifically of Heigl's sister here) might seem like prudish snobbish killjoys but I think it contrasts well with the immature fun-loving boys and does add a certain dramatic element and insight on modern men-women relationships. There were some complaints that the film was sexist towards women but really I would argue it's the guys who are not portrayed flatteringly. Weirdly, this movie is a paradox: a somewhat moral honest modern "romantic" comedy hidden under a raunchy immature slacker comedy.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10