Review: Knocked Up

When slacker Ben (Seth Rogen) meets up with newly promoted television correspondent, Alison (Katherine Hiegl), there is an instant connection and they end up having a night of drunkenly awkward sex, it is obviously not a match made in heaven. But very few are. So many times people who are not necessarily the ideal couple are the ones that thrive. And both Seth and Katherine give such honest and wonderful performances that you really believe that they could learn to care for each other with a child on the way. There are several moments here that ring true but without being shallow or obvious. Alison’s sister Debbie and her husband Pete, played by Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd, give their counterparts a very jaded look at being married with children, and both are fantastic. A wonderful script and a couple of beautiful performances from both give their marriage depth. This is it folks. It’s not always easy, and self doubt can creep up on you. It was an interesting take that the men in this film were the ones faced with self doubt, while the women are sometimes too controlling. Yet both have their moments of strength and weakness. This is a smart script that paints a portrait of men and women in a very detailed and humorous view.

As for being a laugh out loud funny flick, it is not what you expect. In fact, the laughs are not as often as you would think. There is nothing really so over-the-top that it will have you rolling in the aisles. So on that note, I was a bit surprised and even a tad disappointed. The funny is there, but it is a much more somber humor. In one scene, Pete is describing marriage like an unfunny episode of “Everybody Loves Raymond” that lasts forever. It is scenes like this that make this a very real and compassionate look at relationships. The jokes aren’t always easy or obvious. The characters swear a lot and get frustrated and do dumb and hurtful things to each other. Nobody is perfect and with such an honest look at these people, you might be able to find some understanding why your girlfriend or boyfriend would say what they did. It is the simple frustration of not reading enough about how to become a father that sparks one painful argument between Ben and Alison; simple and real. Yes it’s damn funny and yes it is even heartbreaking; “Knocked Up” is clever, charming, crude and also, a very realistic portrayal of what would happen if Seth Rogen got you pregnant. And it’s much more heartfelt and f*cking funny than any episode of “Everybody Loves Raymond”.