Judd Apatow has become very well known in the last few years for being connected to a few movies that went on to become very popular. The most well known of those is probably The 40 Year Old Virgin. Apatow wrote and directed another very popular movie, Knocked Up, that came up in June of 2006. I was one of the few who didn't see the movie in the theater and only just saw it when it turned up on HBO.

Alison Scott had an ordered life, though she was living in her sister’s guest house. Alison was thrilled when she received a promotion. She and her sister Debbie went out to a club to celebrate. Alison ended up meeting Ben Stone, a man who spent most of his time stoned. They proceeded to get very drunk before going to Alison’s and having sex. During the awkward next morning, Alison learned that Ben and his friends were planning to start up a website that would tell what movies actresses were naked in. Alison basically gave him the brush off after that and focused on her new position at work. Two months later, Alison found out that she was pregnant and she decided to contact Ben. They started to spend some more time together and decided to try to make a relationship work because of the baby.

When Knocked Up started, a little bit of time was taken to show how very different Alison and Ben were before they met. She was living in her sister’s guest house, but she had a good job and just got a promotion. Ben on the other hand was a huge slacker who spent most of his time drunk, stoned, or both. He lived in a house with a few of his friends who were also mostly stoned. All of them were supposed to be working on setting up the website, but they had a very laid back attitude about it. Frankly, it seemed like an excuse to sit around watching movies specifically to spot naked women. I’m still not sure if they expected to make any actual money. Anyway, only a few minutes were taken to establish Alison and Ben before they met and hooked up. It only took about twenty minutes for them to end up in bed. After that, the rest of the movie was focused on in on how they were going to deal with the situation.

Sex ended up playing a fairly important role in Knocked Up. There were a few sex scenes, none of which were that graphic, but they might bother some viewers. Alison was getting somewhat vocal and she did make some demands. Alison wasn’t shown naked. She was shown wearing her bra a few times and late in the movie she was in a bath with some strategically placed bubbles. That was as close to being naked as she got. Ben’s bare backside was shown the morning after. Later in the movie, his friend Jason showed off his bare backside. Most of the nudity was actually in the other movies that Ben and his friends were watching. In addition to the actual sex scenes, there were some other sexual discussions that did get a bit graphic or even vulgar at times. Those discussions may bother some viewers. Condoms were brought up a few times, but it was made very clear that Ben didn’t use one. The sexual elements, as well as all the swearing - which included multiple uses of the word that rhymes with luck - caused the movie to be rated R. There was a lot of drug use shown as well that also contributed to the rating. This is not a movie for children.

The relationship between Alison and Ben was very important to everything that was going on. They were both very drunk when they had sex, not the best way to start a relationship. The next morning was a bit strained, especially as Alison learned more about Ben. It really seemed like she only ended up having sex with him because she was so drunk. He was interested in them hooking up again, but she basically gave him the brush off until two months later when she figured out she was pregnant. They ended up deciding to try to make a relationship work and at times they did seem to be getting along well. She even got to the point where she would point out female nudity in movies they watched together. They did seem to be a bit mismatched, but there was also something about them that somehow worked. Debbie’s relationship with her husband Pete was also explored a little bit.

Dealing with an unexpected pregnancy is a serious matter. Knocked Up is not the first movie to tackle this subject. It also isn’t the first movie to handle the subject with humor either. The movie was funny overall, though a few of the jokes didn’t work in my opinion. With some of them, I think the main problem was the way Ben delivered the lines that were supposed to be funny. Other times, the things just weren’t funny. Much of the humor was aimed at pregnancy in some way and certain things were very funny. Alison did exhibit mood swings as the movie progressed that were blamed on hormones and a few times she did seem a bit irrational. There were a few more serious moments that did work for the most part. A lot of vulgar humor was used throughout the movie, so the humor won’t appeal to everyone. Certain things will more than likely offend some viewers. Just the plot in general probably won’t appeal to some people.

Alison and Ben were the main characters since almost everything that happened was tied to them in some way. Alison was a little uptight and controlling about some things, but she was nice and likable over all. Katherine Heigl handled the part well. I also liked her in 27 Dresses. Ben was kind of goof and a huge slacker, but he still managed to be likable. He did struggle to adapt to the situation a bit more than Alison did. Seth Rogen was good in the part. His friends Jason, Jonah, Jay, and Martin were frequently around, usually in the background without much to do.

Debbie was Alison’s sister. Debbie was more controlling than her sister and she could be bossy. She wasn’t thrilled with Ben or that Alison was going to try to make things work, but she grudgingly agreed to give him a chance. She was slightly annoying at times, but she was a decent character overall. It was clear that she cared about her sister. Leslie Mann, who is actually married to Apatow, was good in the part. I have read that things from when she was pregnant with their first child inspired many things in this movie. Mann turned up in Drillbit Taylor earlier this year.

Pete, Debbie’s husband, was sort of in his own world and not really keeping up with what was going on. He had a few of his own issues. Paul Rudd handled the part really well. The scenes he had with Rogen were some of the best in the movie. Harold Ramis turned up in a few scenes as Ben’s dad. Joanna Kerns had an even smaller part as Alison’s mom. Alan Tudyk, who I loved in Firefly and Serenity, turned up in a few scenes as Alison’s boss.

Main Cast

Katherine Heigl - Alison Scott
Leslie Mann - Debbie
Seth Rogen - Ben Stone
Paul Rudd - Pete

Written and directed by Judd Apatow

I didn’t think that Knocked Up was as great as some people claimed it was, but I did enjoy it. The movie was funny and entertaining overall. The vulgar humor and all the drug use will offend some people. Even just the basic plot may turn some off. This is definitely not a movie for everyone.

I would have rated this movie three and a half stars if I had the option. Since I don’t, I rounded up to four.




Recommended: Yes