Realistic drama with some humour thrown in

Rating: 9/10 (13 December 2007)

The premise of Knocked Up is pretty simple: unattractive slacker Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) meets successful journalist Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) and gets her pregnant. They struggle trying to get along romantically, while at the same time dealing with Alison's sister and brother-in-law, whose own problems affect their relationship.
What struck me about the movie is despite its irreverent tone, and its obvious intention to be a comedy, it is really a realistic dramatic portrayal of two things: having a child after a one-night stand, and the tension of a romantic relationship between two people whose characters just don't fit.
When I first saw the posters for the movie, I was not willing to give it a chance - I wasn't sure how they could pull off the concept without coming off as some stupid teenage boy-centric fantasy, and although 40-Year Old Virgin was funny, it did not really tackle any important issues.
Knocked Up pleasantly surprised me by dealing with the issues it raises in a realistic way - to a point. I can't speak to dealing with sex during pregnancy, or parenting, but I know what it's like to have parents who do not get along but were thrown together by happenstance, and I have to say Knocked Up presents things pretty well. I could very well see my parents voicing a lot of the frustrations of Pete and Debbie, the hapless in-laws of Alison.
It is this serious willingness to grapple with such difficult issues, in what is essential a comedic drama, that makes me give Knocked Up so high marks. Its brand of humour for me was really the sideshow to the more interesting story of how the characters deal with the situations life has handed them.
One thing I had trouble grasping, though, was how easily the movie brushes aside the subject of abortion. I personally believe abortion is wrong, but I understand why people would want it as an option, and the movie simply does not deal with the subject adequately - Alison never has a good reason not to abort - in fact she has all the reasons to terminate the pregnancy - but yet she decides to keep the baby. This is obviously necessary for the plot, but the lack of explanation makes it a bit of a startling loose end.
If you want sex and humour, without a serious message or theme, Knocked Up won't be your cup of tea. But if you can handle the movie's irreverence and want a movie that positively addresses real problems, Knocked Up is a movie you should see.