Knocked Up

Every year it seems as if there is at least one movie that is nerdy, dirty, hilarious, and full of heart all at the same time. Two years ago it was The 40 Year Old Virgin, last year it was Clerks II, and now we get this gem: Knocked Up.

It is the story about overweight nerd, Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) and what happens after what was intended to just be a one night stand, Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) who is an up and coming entertainment reporter. You see, because of a mix up with words, Alison is now preggers and Ben, well, he is the father. Alison is has her sister, who the same thing happened to, telling her not to and Ben has his father and group of misfit stoner friends telling him another thing. So what is a guy who's income is based on a website that tells you how far into a movie you have to see nudity supposed to deal with this news? Will he become a responsible father? or will he end up being the disappointment they all know he will be?

This plot has been used several times over, and frankly, could have been very boring if not given to the right people. Apatow, the writer/director of this film, handles this with such care and grace that we are laughing and cheering for our fuck up of a hero throughout the movie. I was not very familiar with Apatow before I saw The 40 Year Old Virgin. I had never seen his television work, nor had I seen his other movie. After Virgin I was not expecting a serious touch to it at all. Even though he had shown traces of it in the first movie, I was not fully convinced he would be able to pull off the serious touch to this movie but boy did he do it. There was not one part of this movie that seemed out of place or contrived. It was all natural and the transition from hilarious to serious was pulled off perfectly.

Of course, he wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of his great cast. All the misfits and the great characters that are so real and unfiltered that they just feel like they could be living just down the street from you. Ben's friends are played by a troup of people Apatow had worked with in the past and they are all hilarious. Delivering great, extremely quotable lines with such ease that it makes it seem like any ol' schmo could do it but we all know that they couldn't. Paul Rudd and Lesli Mann play a couple that is somewhat of a fast forward for Alison and Ben. They got together the same way and their marriage is a constant struggle with many fights. You can tell that they know eachother very well because of the natural chemistry that pops off the screen, they can bounce insults and so much more off eachother with extreme ease. Katherine Heigl is perfect as the up-and-comer whose life is derailed after one unfortunate night. There is a sence of uneasiness to her from the moment she finds out that she is pregnant that, even in her most confident hours, just resonates that she wishes things could go back to the way it was before. The big find here is Seth Rogen as Ben Stone. He is hilarious and touching and great. Even when he is being a complete ass, he has this likability surrounding him at all times and just makes us root for him. He was my favorite part of Virgin, but I did not know that he was capable of being believable when the going got tough.

This has been my favorite movie of the summer so far and I highly recommend it to everyone. While the comedy is dirty and there is stoner humor, there is more going on than just that and it is definately worth watching. In fact, this movie is already on my "GOTTA OWN IT" list.