‘Knocked Up’ (2007) Review

Knocked Up Synopsis: For fun-loving party animal Ben Stone, the last thing he ever expected was for his one-night stand to show up on his doorstep eight weeks later to tell him she’s pregnant with his child.

Career-driven journalist Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) hits a snag when she finds herself pregnant from a one-night stand with an unemployed slacker named Ben (Seth Rogen). When she decides to keep the baby, the odd couple tries to give a real relationship a try. But their differences have them wondering if they’re too incompatible to raise a child together.

Written and directed by Judd Apatow (married to Leslie Mann, who plays Alison’s sister, Debbie), Knocked Up is infused with so many lines and moments where any married couple will look at each other and say, “Yup.” But it also does a lovely job of building this awkward, opposites-attract romance into something relatable and believable.

I love that Apatow does not shy away from the messier bits of love. He shows us the difficulties all couples face, not only with Ben and Alison’s newer, tentative romance but also with Debbie and Pete’s (Paul Rudd) marriage, one that feels monotonous and tense. People always say when you get married, you’re marrying your best friend, but Debbie and Pete still have plenty of secrets from one another, like they’re too afraid to be themselves for fear of ridicule. It’s almost uncomfortably funny.

Ben may be shabby and irresponsible, but he’s funny and sweet enough that I could absolutely see why Alison would take him home (though, sure, alcohol plays a part in it, too). Rogen is so ridiculously charming in this movie, and he and Heigl play very well off each other.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Heigl, but I adore her as Alison. She’s ambitious and forthright, and yes, she may have some issues with Rogen’s stoner lifestyle, but what responsible, scared mother-to-be wouldn’t? Alison makes Ben want to do something with himself, to be a better person and a good father. Ben helps Alison to learn to let go of things she cannot control.

Their chemistry is on point, and it needs to be for this movie to work. Honestly, Rogen is vulnerable and appealing enough that Alison’s attraction to him (as much as it seemed to confuse her) isn’t all that questionable to me. In fact, if you’ve seen Knocked Up, you should be confused by anyone who found it difficult to believe that Seth Rogen could land Charlize Theron.

Knocked Up has an amazing supporting cast as well. Beyond brief but hilarious cameos by Kristen Wiig and Alan Tudyk, we also get Ben’s group of friends, played by Jonah Hill, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, Jay Baruchel, and Charlyne Yi. Joanna Kerns and Harold Ramis (RIP!) play Alison and Ben’s mother and father, respectively. That’s not to mention the revolving door of doctors that Ben and Alison are “auditioning” to help deliver their baby, including B.J. Novak and Ken Jeong (in his feature film debut). The movie is sweet but also hilarious and rude. An honest take on commitment and parenthood delivered in a way that will make you laugh and then sigh in agreement.

To summarize Knocked Up, I present to you one of the funniest lines delivered by Alison’s brother-in-law, Pete: “Marriage is like an unfunny, tense version of Everybody Loves Raymond, but it doesn’t last 22 minutes. It lasts forever.”

Watched: 05/23/2019
Notable Song: Biggest Part of Me by Ambrosia