Knocked Up

***Knocked Up*** is a 2007 American romantic comedy film written, directed, and co-produced by Judd Apatow, and starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl,  Paul Rudd, and Leslie Mann. It follows the repercussions of a drunken one-night stand between a slacker and a just-promoted media personality that results in an unintended pregnancy.

## Plot

Alison Scott is a career-minded woman who has just been given an on-air role with E! and is living in the pool house with her sister Debbie's family. Ben Stone is laid-back and sardonic. He lives off funds received in compensation for an injury and sporadically works on a celebrity porn website with his roommates, in between smoking marijuana or going off with them to theme parks such as Knott's Berry Farm. While celebrating her promotion, Alison meets Ben at a local nightclub. After a night of drinking, they end up having sex. Due to a misunderstanding, they don't use protection: Alison uses the phrase "Just do it already" to encourage Ben to put the condom on, but he misinterprets this to mean to dispense with using one. The following morning, they quickly learn over breakfast that they have little in common and go their separate ways, which leaves Ben visibly upset.

Eight weeks later, Alison experiences morning sickness during an interview with James Franco and realizes she could be pregnant. She contacts Ben for the first time since their one-night stand to tell him. Although insensitive at first, Ben says he will be there to support Alison. While he is still unsure about being a parent, his father is excited. Alison's mother tries to persuade her daughter to have an abortion, but Alison decides to keep the child. Later, Alison and Ben decide to give a relationship a chance. The couple's efforts include Ben making an awkward marriage proposal with an empty ring box, promising to get her one someday. Alison thinks it's too early to think about marriage, because she is more concerned with hiding the pregnancy from her bosses, believing that they will fire her if they ever found out. After a somewhat promising beginning, tensions surface in the relationship.

Alison is increasingly worried about Ben's lack of responsibility and commitment, and has doubts about the longevity of their relationship. These thoughts are due to her sister's unhappy marriage. Debbie's husband, Pete, works as a talent scout for rock bands, but he leaves at odd hours in the night, which makes her suspect he is having an affair. Upon investigating, she learns that he is actually part of a fantasy baseball draft, and that he has been doing other activities such as going to the movies on his own, which he explains he participates in to be free from Debbie's controlling manner. This results in their separation, and when Ben expresses amusement at Pete's deception, it leads to a heated argument with Alison as they drive to her doctor. Angered, she ejects him from her car and abandons him in the middle of a busy street. He tracks her down to her appointment and they both start another argument, leading to their own breakup. Ben and Pete decide to go on a road trip to Las Vegas.

Under the heavy influence of psychedelic mushrooms, they realize their loss and decide to take responsibility for their relationships. Simultaneously, Debbie drags a timid Alison out partying with her, but they are refused admission to a nightclub by its apologetic bouncer on account of Debbie's age and Alison's pregnancy, leading to Debbie's tearful laments about her life and her desire to have Pete back. They reconcile at their daughter's birthday party, but when Ben tries to work things out with Alison, she doesn't want to get back together. Alison's boss finds out about her pregnancy, and sees an opportunity to boost ratings with female viewers by having Alison interview pregnant celebrities. After a talk with his father, Ben decides to take responsibility and goes to great effort to change his ways, including moving out of his friends' house, getting an office job as a web designer, and creating a baby's room in his new apartment.

He also starts reading the pregnancy books that he had purchased early on. When Alison goes into labor and is unable to contact her doctor, she calls Ben, as Debbie and Pete are at Legoland. Ben discovers that the gynecologist they had been seeing is out of town, at a Bar Mitzvah, despite having assured them that he never took vacations. Ben calls him and leaves a furious voicemail, threatening murder. During labor, Alison apologizes for doubting Ben's commitment and admits that she never thought the man who got her pregnant would be the right one for her. When Debbie and Pete arrive at the hospital, Ben adamantly refuses to allow her to be at Alison's side, insisting that it's his place. Debbie is both furious and impressed that Ben took charge of the situation and begins to change her formerly negative opinion about him. The couple welcomes a baby girl (a boy in the alternate ending) and settle down happily together in a new apartment in Los Angeles.

## Cast

* Seth Rogen as Ben Stone
* Katherine Heigl as Alison Scott