Knocked Up Review

Knocked Up, directed and written by Judd Apatow of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Anchorman fame, returns with some of his "Freaks and Geeks" buddies to bring us this raunchily funny flick with a cast that makes playing six degrees of separation a hell of a lot easier. Ben, played perfectly by Seth Rogen, who deserves to be a leading man as much if not more than some people already in those roles, beds Alison (Katherine Heigl), a woman who would not look twice at him if it weren't for a booze-fueled celebration of a promotion. After the awkward morning after it seems that Ben and Alison will never cross paths again until a bout of morning sickness leads to a frenzied trip to the drug store for pregnancy tests.

In the ensuing months Apatow shows us the nuances of a couple trying to navigate a new relationship and do the right thing. Ben is a stoner who, with his buddies, is trying to make it big with a website that tells users at what point in a movie they can see their favorite starlet naked, although it seems that for them, the fun of finding the nudity takes precedence over launching the site. Alison is an up-and-coming career woman, recently promoted to a prestigious position at E!. Although they come from very different backgrounds they somehow find a way, after several bumps in the road, to come together for their unborn baby.

This movie is rated R for a reason. Drug use is rampant, the sex scenes are startlingly graphic for a comedy, and a part of the female anatomy is shown (twice!), but not in a way that Ben and his friends would appreciate. Knocked Up has a typical, predictable happy ending, but the audience finds itself happy for Ben and Alison instead of feeling cheated at being blind-sided by a typical Hollywood cliche. Mr. Apatow strikes the perfect balance: a movie with romance that isn't a diabetic coma-inducing chick flick; a movie with plenty of drugs, sex and shenanigans that doesn't go for American Pie-type cheap laughs.

Other notable performances include a hilarious cameo by Ryan Seacrest, Leslie Mann as the raging bitch of a sister, and Paul Rudd as the hen-pecked husband longing for the type of life he could have had if he had not also become a father too soon; fans of "Freaks and Geeks" should keep an eye out for a cameo by Paul Feig as Fantasy Baseball Guy #1.