Out at a dance club for a night of celebrating after a promotion at work, Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) meets Ben Stone (Seth Rogen). After a few too many drinks, they end up going back to Alison’s house and have sex. Like most one-night-stands, all is forgotten shortly afterwards except, eight weeks later, Alison finds out that she’s pregnant.
Ben is unemployed and lives with his druggie roommates. Alison works for Entertainment Television (E!) as an interviewer. They couldn’t have less in common but they decide that they’ll do right by each other for the sake of the baby. They begin to have a relationship and, much to her family’s dismay, it seems to be working out just fine. That is, until the hormones kick in and Alison believes she’s making a big mistake thinking Ben is father material.
Fans of The 40 Year Old Virgin should especially enjoy Knocked Up as both were written and directed by Judd Apatow. In this film, Apatow showcases the male and female perspectives on relationships while still doling out enough low-brow humor to keep things from getting too serious.
Seth Rogen’s Ben is a believably ingenuous slacker who truly wants to do right by Alison. Heigl’s Alison is a little less believable but not enough to ruin the idea that these two polar opposites could actually get together. Their pairing gives the movie a solid foundation to build a thoughtful comedy that never gets preachy at all.
Aside from its leads and strong script, Knocked Up also benefits from a great supporting cast including Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann (both also of The 40 Year Old Virgin), as Alison’s brother-in-law and sister, respectively, as well as Jonah Hill, Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel and Martin Starr as Ben’s stoner roommates.
While it lacks a scene that will go down as a classic comedic moment, Knocked Up is a satisfying collection of funny scenes and exchanges of dialogue that will ring true for anyone who’s ever been in a relationship that’s lasted more than one night.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
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