Ben Stone and Alison Scott shared a single night of drunken, impassioned sex and that’s where it should have ended. Eight weeks later, however, the already unlikely pair go on a second date. Alison drops a heavy bomb on Ben when she tells him that every home pregnancy kit in Rite Aid tells her she’s pregnant.
Ben (played by Seth Rogen) is an unemployed habitual pot smoker and focuses his limited ambitions on setting up a porno Web site called Flesh of the Stars with his slacker roommates. Alison (played by Katherine Heigl) is a blonde bombshell and rising star at E! Entertainment, and was recently promoted to do on-air reporting. Their union rests solely on the clich̩ that opposites attract Рat least when a lovechild is put between them.
Leave it to writer and director Judd Apatow to take this movie beyond slapstick. “Knocked Up” stands in the shadow of “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” a movie that breathed new life into possibly the oldest movie gimmick of “let’s get this guy laid!” by making its characters believable. Here, Apatow again anchors his cast to the real world. Ben genuinely wants to rise to the occasion, even if it means uncomfortable visits to the gynecologist and, much worse, finding a stable income. Alison also finds new footing through the situation. Motherhood isn’t a death sentence for her career, and she’s convinced she can make a father out of this lovable loser.
Almost as interesting is a subplot between Alison’s sister Debbie (played by Leslie Mann) and her husband Pete (played by Paul Rudd). While they serve primarily as sideline coaches for Alison and Ben, they sometimes steal the show. Just listen to Debbie rant at the nightclub bouncer, or Pete’s slurred quoting of Doc Brown from “Back to the Future.”
Ben’s roommates supply this movie with ever-reliable gross-out humor. At one point all four come down with a serious case of pinkeye for no other reason than to hear the digusting explanation of how they got it. Watch out for Jonah Hill, who will be back this August in “Superbad,” also produced by Apatow.
Also worth noting are the shorter scenes with Ryan Seacrest on a show business tirade, and an appearance by “Saturday Night Live” cast member Kristin Wiig playing a pessimistic E! executive.
In spite of the ominous countdown to Alison’s due date, “Knocked Up” avoids the true pang of fear that might come with an unwanted pregnancy and correctly sides with the true comedy of the situation. The result is an uplifting, if not inspiring, story of maturity hilariously illustrated by a talented cast and one gifted director.
