Seemingly harmless alcohol consumption can lead to long term consequences and bring about problems one never anticipated, as the protagonist of the 2007 comedy Knocked Up discovers. Alison Scott (Heigl) is a young, attractive, and ambitious employee of Los Angeles television station who has recently been promoted. To celebrate, she goes to a nightclub with her sister Debbie (played by Leslie Mann), who, due tro family obligations leaves early. Without her sister's oversight, Alison drinks a bit too much and ends up in bed with a young man named Ben Stone (played by Seth Rogen). The next morning, he no longer appears as irresistible he was at the evening, so Alison isn’t too sad when she shows him the door, hoping never to see him again. However, eight weeks later, it turns out that their chance encounter has resulted in a pregnancy, and Alison must quickly find the father of her unborn child. When she locates him, she discovers that Ben is a self-proclaimed "internet entrepreneur" who spends his days smoking weed with a group of loser friends while living off welfare.
The plot outlined above isn’t particularly original, so it’s no surprise that Canadian author Rebecca Eckler has sued the filmmakers for allegedly "borrowing" from her 2005 book based on real-life experiences. However, more seasoned viewers might feel they have seen such a storyline before. It’s easy to imagine a typical TV film turning this into a sermon against alcohol consumption or a limousine liberals’ celebration of America’s women's abortion rights. They could also envision Hollywood screenwriters transforming everything into some sort of "disturbing" thriller where Alison, Ben, or their fetus turn out to be psychologically disturbed killers hiding beneath an innocuous exterior. However, few could imagine such premise ending as a romantic comedy.
When it comes to Hollywood screenwriter and director Judd Apatow, better known for the successful comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin, this does not seem impossible. Apatow breaks several genre rules in this film—from of two hours, an unusually long running time for a romantic comedy, to using a "spicier" R-rating compared to today's neutered PG-13 standard in Hollywood, resulting in plenty of nudity, explicit sex, and salty language unsuitable for family entertainment.
However, the most significant rule-breaking relates to the protagonists themselves, who aren’t particularly likeable. Alison comes off as a caricature of a "driven" Hollywood career woman, while Ben, especially when with his slacker friends, embodies all the worst stereotypes of younger Gen X or Millenials. Nonetheless, Seth Rogen manages to engage viewers with his comedic talent (which is not quite the case with Heigl). Two them are overshadowed by the much more interesting dynamic between Debbie's frustrated husband (played by Paul Rudd) and Debbie herself (masterfully portrayed by Apatow's wife Leslie Mann).
Apatow’s rather unromantic approach to romantic comedy makes him appear somewhat iconoclastic; yet Knocked Up still adheres to Hollywood conventions. Everyone knows that the film will end roughly like Nine Months, another romantic comedy with similar theme. Apatow also misses some opportunities presented by the plot—such as reversing gender roles where Ben could use pregnancy to be supported by Alison. However, while experienced viewers may know where the film is headed, they will encounter many pleasant surprises along the way. One such examples is a brief yet impactful discussion with a bouncer outside a nightclub. Given the kind of manure that often comes to screen under the label of romantic comedies, Knocked Up looks like quite a pleasant surprise for the audience.
RATING: 8/10 (+++)
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