There’s nothing worse than sitting in a theater watching a Romantic Comedy where the comedy is terrible and there’s absolutely no chemistry between anyone in the film. My happy feet really wanted to get the heck out of there. This overlong 2 hr and ten minute movie felt like it would never end.
Knocked Up is Judd Apatow’s wet dream fantasy about an unlikeable 23 year old slacker, Ben Stone (Seth Rogen), who has a one night stand with the beautiful Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) who is out celebrating her promotion at her job as an E! Entertainment Network Correspondent. Of course this relationship is believable. I mean who wouldn’t want to have a one night stand with a drunken, fat, dirty looking slob? I mean the beer goggles were definitely working overtime that night.
When she sobers up the next morning she realizes her mistake. Unfortunately, all it takes is one time. Eight weeks later she finds out she’s pregnant and has to tell the father. At first Ben doesn’t want to be involved and she doesn’t want to a romantic relationship with him. But they decide to try and work it out anyway. Along for the 9 month ride are Alison’s sister, Debbie (Leslie Mann) and her husband Pete (Paul Rudd) and Ben’s no-name slacker friends.
Everything about this film smacks of people trying hard to be funny or "hip." Like when Ben and his friends are at a bar and they riff on how great the movie Munich is, or when they mention going to see Spiderman 3. Apatow who did the cult TV hit, Freaks and Geeks, which I loved, (of course got canceled right away) and The 40-Year Old Virgin (another film, I hated) goes over similar territory here. The writing doesn’t feel real or natural. It’s just a bunch of guys sitting around the table being lewd, vulgar and riffing on each other.
I love Katherine Heigl, but every time I look at her I can’t help but be bitter at how one of my favorite television shows, Roswell, turned out. Of course it’s not her fault, but the dream is dead, the dream is dead. Anyway, I digress, Heigl does a fine job here, but I don’t think she has what it takes to really carry a film, the character she’s playing here is the same one she played in Roswell, or even on Grey’s Anatomy. She doesn’t stretch at all here and it feels like a one note performance. She’s likable enough, but stretched out to a full 2 hr film. It doesn’t work.
While Heigl is watchable, Rogen’s Stone is just all around unlikable. Yes, at times he can be the cute, funny friend. But he just comes across as being vapid and selfish. I know that’s the point of the character, but I wouldn’t want to spend five minutes with a guy like this, that alone an entire two hours.
I didn’t have any expectations walking into this film, so it didn’t have a bar that it needed to reach to meet them. And even at that, it failed.
Final Grade D
EM Review by
Michelle Alexandria
Originally Posted 06/01/07
Madame I believe I can shoot a massive and gaping hole in your argument against this movie right here with this very quote. “The writing doesn’t feel real or natural. It’s just a bunch of guys sitting around the table being lewd, vulgar and riffing on each other.” Do you have any idea how a bunch of college, not far out of college aged slacker-like/laid back men act? I ate with my friends today and we threw about as many ribs and jibes at each other as shown in the movie. Not to mention that was without the booze those guys would’ve been drinking. You also seem to be completely unable to comprehend the notion of the “one mistake” that everyone makes in a while when it comes to people they sleep with. It’s a common enough occurrence in regularly bar going patrons to take home or go home with someone who is well below their normal standards thanks to our friend alcohol. Now in the future I’d honestly expect you to pull your head out of your ass a little before reviewing a movie aimed at the college going crowd; rather than some dried up old woman (on the inside) who’s too stuffy to think outside of her own world perspective.
Gotta say I’ve never heard of this mag or you (the writer) and I only signed up to leave this comment. That said… thank you. Thank you for having the balls to call this piece of slacker trash what it is… tedious, simplistic, and largely unfunny. Every other reviewer in the countyr has jumped on the “Apatow is a god” bandwagon, but I can’t help but believe it’s only because they are unwilling to say what they really think for fear of appearing “out of touch”. There is no skill or craft in the writing of this film whatsoever, its basically improv and though the guys are clearly trying, only about one of every ten lines results in even a smirk, let alone a chuckle. Batting .100 gets you a position carrying equipment for the local minor league baseball team, not one batting clean-up for the Yankees. But America loves it! They scream. Yeah, that’s true. But America also loves McDonalds. And McDonalds is garbage, too.
As for Jirekianu’s “gaping hole” theory.. Yeah, dude. That is kinda the way slacker just outta college guys act and talk. I’d go so far as to say that most of know a group of guys pretty much just like that. BFD. That’s just means they’re common as dirt. Really, bro. Why would you pay $8.50 to sit and watch a group of douchebags sit a round and talk (mostly unfunny smack) when you could just hang out with your own version of those guys and get the same experience for free? Actually a better experience, cause YOUR version of those guys would get you high, making them much funnier in the process.
How come people feel the need to say things about heads in asses to perfect strangers? It is so passive aggressive to lash out in comment areas, not to mention childish. If you want to be taken seriously, try wiping your feet at the proverbial door; take a deep breath and remember that if you don’t have anything nice to say, either become a critic or don’t say anything at all. Freelance critic doesn’t count, either.
As far as the review goes, I’d like to point out that the chick that got knocked up would have gotten an abortion so fast it is ridiculous. Along those lines, where were her friends? And did she ever know any men before the one-night stand? If she did, they sure disappeared in a hurry. She was relegated to the backyard and seemed only to have emotions relating to her new, ugly husband. I am sick of movies where girls do not make things happen, where they only react. I would love to see another version of Knocked Up, from her POV, with Mr jackass perma-grin on the periphery behaving like a stereotype. Women are just more interesting and compelling and fun to watch than men. Men are stupid and gross and they suck.
Knocked up is a lovely film. Ben Stone (Rogen) is a lovely guy – I just don’t know how you can not like his him! Everyone else I talked to about him just thought he was fantastic – guys and girls. I liked him so much I didn’t want to believe he was just an actor playing a role! Also this is one of the most realistic mainstream movies I’ve seen in a long long time. It’s cute and funny and genuine. The relationships actually feel like real relationships. Anyone who accidentally stumbled across this review please disregard. It’s just plain wrong. Instead go read the other million or so reviewers who loved this film as you will! thank you
Give me a break. Your entire review ammounts to “omg ben stone was icky it was not a believable movie”. You seem to have not even grasped the jist of the entire film. To give you the quick version the entire movie is about making the best of a bad situation which in the end turns out to be a blessing that spurs the “slacker” to improve his life.
I just finished watching “Knocked Up” and I immediately went on Rottentomatoes.com, a website that’s increasingly showing signs that critics are getting either dumber or acting like pawns for the industry.
Michelle Alexandria’s article was about as accurate as it gets.
The multitude of comedic lines that were intended to be funny, fell very flat. For example, “Don’t let the door hit your vagina on the way out.” I couldn’t stop laughing at that one-liner!
The humor was intended for people who think “The Office” is edgy comedy. As a guy who spent the greater part of the last decade smoking pot and hanging out with my buddies, we never acted as moronic and never told as many lame jokes as the frat-house guys in “Knocked Up.”
As for the believability of the film, even if Rogan’s character was smart, professional, interesting, sensitive, and funny, (all the quality women say they want) with his looks he wouldn’t stand a chance of sleeping with Heigl’s character, let alone father a child with her.
One of the most painful aspects of this film is that it sends the message that a smart, good-looking, career-driven woman should consider keeping her baby after a one-night stand with a loser.
Go out and rent “Airplane!” and “Office Space.”