Knocked Up

This feel good for freaky teen boys flick, a surprise Summer 2007 hit, was actually sweeter and kinder than I’d expected. Ben Stone (Seth Rogen), hefty and goofy looking, a geek’s geek, scores a one night stand with the stunning Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) via far too much booze and yet not enough to prevent him from getting her with child. The meat of the movie is Ben’s decision to put aside his childish things, well-represented by his slacker pals (Jason, Jay, Jonah and Martin), and become the husband and father Alison and his child ought to have.

Another hit from the mind of writer/director Judd Apatow, who previously gave us Fun With Dick and Jane, The 40 Year Old Virgin and the TV series Freaks and Geeks. He smartly makes the conflict about more than just slacker goof versus career-minded or beauty versus beast (which Alison’s sister Debbie, played by Leslie Mann, can’t get past) but proffers a complete disconnect of worlds and ways of thinking between the two groups. Coming somewhere in the middle as symbol of what Alison might have had is Debbie’s husband Pete (Paul Rudd), a yuppie on the surface but whose inner geek has nearly been stomped out of existence by his wife’s utter dominance.

Knocked Up compares well with Virgin. In fact Ben and Virgin‘s Andy Stitzer (Steve Carrell) are two sides of a very similar coin, if Ben hadn’t connected with Alison and continued on his previous, sad path.

recommended