Writer-director-producer Judd Apatow’s first hit, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, was a fun movie that came close to getting it right. But that was a mere warm-up for his knock out comedy Knocked Up.
We are in Virgin territory here, but this a much more mature movie about an even more immature dude who finds love when all he thought he wanted was sex.
He’s a stoner whose life is passing in a blur until he meets newly minted TV personality Alison. After a beer-sodden one-night stand they go their separate ways. Until, two months later, Alison discovers that she’s knocked up and gets in touch with Ben.
They decide to have the baby – and to try having a relationship. Their clashing lifestyles and personalities make for plenty of awkward comedy. And because we’re talking about all sorts of intimate subjects – from contraceptive etiquette to sex during late pregnancy – there are any number of ewwww moments. But the film also has a sweet streak a mile wide.
Much of its success is due to Seth Rogen, who plays Ben. He had a small role in The 40-Year-Old Virgin but here makes a unique leading man. Overweight and underachieving, he’s a real slob. We’ve seen Jack Black in similar roles but Apatow smartly doesn’t make Ben the king of one-liners or possessed of some lady-killing charisma. Instead, he’s a warm-hearted, self-deprecating and realistically flawed Everyman. It’s a winning characterisation – and one that rings true.
As Alison, Katherine Heigl from Gray’s Anatomy gives a fine and appealing performance. But both she and her character lack that special 'something' that made Cameron Diaz so memorable in There’s Something About Mary.
Apatow hasn’t given Alison enough thought – for instance, her entertainment reporter sub-plot seems calculated for cross promotion on the real-life E! network. These 'now' cameos and pop culture jokes are often very funny but they’re going to date badly.
What’s better – and more enduring – are Ben’s riotous misfit friends, who take affectionate insult to a whole new level.
Meanwhile, the marital woes of Alison’s sister remind us that – in the words of the great Pat Benatar – love is a battlefield.
It’s this balance – frat boy humour and truths about love, sex and marriage – that make Knocked Up such a winner. Four stars.
