Heart-warming and brilliant

Rating: 10/10 (29 June 2007)

Judd Apatow put himself on the map of great comedy directors with "The 40-Year Old Virgin", taking very crude humor and making it hysterical. This time around, he has put himself on the map of great romantic-comedy directors with a movie that is not only funnier, but much more real.
"Knocked Up" explores the scenario that every irresponsible but occasionally lucky man fears the most: accidental pregnancy. In this case, a successful, ladder-climbing Alison Scott goes out with her sister (hysterically played by Leslie Mann)to a club to celebrate a recent promotion. Meanwhile, slacker Ben Stone is out at the same club simply having fun with his friends. When Ben gives Alison his beer to give to her sister, a simple act of desperate charity turns into a friendly meeting, which turns into a crazy night of drunken dancing and partying, which turns into what was supposed to be a one-night stand. Eight weeks later, however, after getting sick on air, Alison discovers the horrifying truth: she's pregnant. The challenge of hiding the pregnancy from her workplace is nothing compared to the challenge of transforming Ben from a "self-employed" couch potato into a responsible father, and both parties learn a lot from the trials they go through.
This movie succeeds on so many levels, which is what makes it one of the best film of the year. The comedy is just as sharp, without being as flat-out crude, as the "40-Year Old Virgin"; it almost seems smarter. Most of the funniest elements of the movie come from what is being said quickly and in the background, forcing you to pay attention to everything that is being said out of fear that you'll miss a joke. It works, though, in making people laugh more and more as they gradually comprehend what they just heard, and these jokes are the funniest.
Where it truly succeeds, however, is the underlying reality of the situation. You can truly believe that two people would go through a situation like this, and it would happen exactly the same way as in the movie. The issue with Debbie and Pete is also very real, and is a perfect scenario to freak Alison and Ben out about their relationship together. Nothing in this movie seems unnecessary, nothing seems over-the-top, and as weird as it gets towards the end it all still fits together. The culmination of nearly two hours of stress, fights, and pregnant sex is the birth of the child, the only part of the movie that I felt was a little, how should I say it... shocking. However, with the birth of the child relieving all of the negative feelings from the entire movie, so comes the birth of a classic romantic comedy, sure to be loved for years. 10/10