Knocked Up
★★★ 1/2
I've always been a big Judd Apatow stand. I completely understand both the praise and complaints that have been directed his way. Regardless, I've always enjoyed his unique brand of comedy that has seemed to fade away. I loved Knocked Up when it was initially released and I had always held it as one of my favorites of Apatow, but I was surprised by my reaction this time around. Overall, I still really enjoyed my time with these characters and I think the plot is perfect for a "realistic" comedy film. The difference this time around is that like Ben Stone (Seth Rogen), I was perhaps not as mature when the film was first released. This time the comedy wasn't able to mask the pitfalls that I ignored back in 2007.
Apatow really missed a chance to expound upon the fears of becoming a parent for the first time. Yes, there are doctor, baby shopping and birthing scenes, but this movie somehow isn't about having a baby at all. It's completely about Ben's inability to grow up and these scenes exist solely to concentrate on Ben's reactions. Despite having as much screen time as Rogen, Katherine Heigl as Alison is maliciously underserved. Her character exists to give Ben something to do and there is never much care given to how she is growing through the process of becoming a mother. Yes, it's fine if Heigl's character is uptight, but you have to give her some comedic moments in a comedy for the audience to root for. She is presented as a complete nag and Apatow is fine at leaving it at that. Apatow is an amazing writer, producer and director, but this movie is pretty strong proof that he doesn't know how to write for women. This movie wants us to completely side with Ben and doesn't care at all about the development of Alison. Knocked Up becomes a sounding device for a man-child complaining about how the world provides too much expectation for him. A little bit of that is amusing, but over two hours worth starts to become a lot. Especially as somebody with two girls, I found myself constantly talking to the screen saying, "Grow up, already!" Man, I'm such a crotchety old man.
Ranting aside, the dialogue from this movie makes me laugh every time. Especially with the back-and-forth between Ben and all his friends (Jason Segal, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Martin Starr). Apatow knows how to write conversations that emulate the banter that we have in everyday life and he nails the dynamic between guy friends perfectly. He also knows how to use the right actors to deliver his lines and you can feel that all the other actors besides Heigl feel comfortable in this world. Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd completely know how to exist in uncomfortable and brutal fights. Their exchanges are almost too real at times, but it distracts from the unbelievable that Ben and Alison would stay together.
I ultimately will always come back to this film because it’s funny. Despite being a sounding board that all women are buzzkills, it evokes some real feelings of those scary moments before you become a parent. It has very memorable scenes and for a comedy, it’s very unique. You can tell that most of the actors love bringing Apatow’s perspective to life and that energy is infectious. This movie ultimately hinges on whether or not you find the characters endearing. And if you don’t, I can’t fault anyone for that.
