Following the success of The 40 Year Old Virgin, a touching comedy which made funny sense of that eponymous condition and its protagonist’s recovery from it, America’s King of Comedy Judd Apatow brings us Knocked Up, a similarly touching comedy about a more familiar situation – the inconvenient consequences of a one-night stand. Though the cast is mainly made up of Apatow’s family and friends, he is never tempted to laziness or in jokes. Rather a sharp script and stellar cast offer sweet and mature observations on the trails and joys of childbirth and awakening romance.
Alison (Heigl), a pretty and ambitious career woman has just landed a job as an on-air reporter for the E! Entertainment network. She is thrilled, and celebrates her success with a night on the tiles alongside her older housewife sister Debbie (Leslie Mann). Several drinks too many leads to a one night stand with 23-year-old Canadian stoner Ben Stone (Rogen). Under the influence in the dark of the nightclub, Alison is smitten with her new friend. But in the sober light of day, Ben turns out to be no more than a drugged-up slacker with no job, no money and the social habits of a teenager. (more…)