Home
Home

Knocked Up (2007)

DVD Cover (Universal Unrated)
Add to Collection
Sign up to add this to your collection
Add to Favorites
Sign up to add this to your favorites
Overall Rating 69%
Overall Rating
Ranked #472
...out of 20,327 movies
Check In? Sign up to check in!

Connections: Knocked Up

For fun loving party animal Ben Stone, the last thing he ever expected was for his one night stand to show up on his doorstep eight weeks later to tell him she's pregnant. --IMDb
User Image
Review by Tristan
Added: October 26, 2007
I'm just going to get it out of the way right now. I'm a huge Judd Apatow fan. I loved Freaks & Geeks, Undeclared and the 40 Year Old Virgin. And through all of these projects the one thing I loved the most was Seth Rogen. There's just something about him that draws me to everything he does. Call it a crush, whatever. I've found that over the past few years, there's only been a few comedies that have really done it for me. Anchorman and 40 Year Old Virgin have been it, and surprise surprise, Apatow and Rogen have been involved in both. Another common factor is Paul Rudd. For my money, it doesn't get any funnier than him and Seth Rogen together. Their style of comedy is just something I "get". A lot of it is improvised on set, which turns out to be much funnier than anything written out in a script. All that gushing aside, this was my favourite film of the year, and Apatow's finest work yet.

Seth Rogen is Ben Stone, a lazy stoner who lives with a bunch of his buddies. They spend their time getting high, watching for nude scenes in movies, and other random guy shit. Ben has been coasting on money he made from a mild car accident when he was a child, and sees no reason to change his current lifestyle. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) Ben's sheltered little world is about to be thrown for a loop.

Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) is a successful young woman, with a bright future. She has recently been given a promotion at E! News to start doing on-air interviews. Sounds delightful. As a means to celebrate, her and her sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) head out for a night on the town, where they end up at a night club. As fate would have it, Ben and his friends are also at this night club. After bumping into each other at the bar, the pair hit it off for a night of drinking, dancing, and ultimately, sex.

Besides an awkward breakfast and goodbye, the two think nothing of it, and part ways. It's a few weeks, and a botched interview with James Franco later before Alison realizes she's pregnant. Panicking, and getting little help from her sister and brother in-law (Paul Rudd), she meets with Ben and breaks the news. You can only imagine what happens next, as Ben's entire life comes crashing down around him. In the blink of an eye he's swept into an entirely new world where he has to finally come into his own, and grow up. As the two struggle with what they have ahead of them, they must also get to know one another, and see if more than just the baby can keep them together.

Yeah, I know. When you shave off all the comedy and great characters, you're left with a sappy, heart-warming romantic comedy. And I loved every minute of it. Aside from one thing, this movie was flawless. I had no doubts about Seth Rogen carrying a movie by himself, and this is proof he can do it, and do it well. His entourage made up of familiar faces from Freaks & Geeks and Undeclared, as well as newcomer Jonah Hill, was hilarious to say the very least. These are some of the funniest people I have ever seen on screen. Fuck Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey, who followed the same formula throughout each movie, with stereotypical deliveries and generic punch lines. These couple of guys were hilarious because very little of what they did was scripted. Something I've noticed in Apatow's direction is to just let the actor's talk as they normally would in real life, which gives us a nice fresh delivery with real dialogue. I can only speak for myself, but I know that when "the guys" hang out, all we do is shoot the shit about movies, and pull off the same hijinks these boys found themselves mixed up in. And Paul Rudd. Who can't love Paul Rudd? He might be the one of the funniest people I've ever seen. I can only pray that this man gets a lot more roles with this kind of cast. They all seem so natural together, and it just creates a really great atmosphere for this kind of movie.

Alright, now for the one flaw. Katherine Heigl. She did her part, and that's it. I've never liked her in anything, and this was certainly no exception. It's very rare that I enjoy an actress' performance, it's even rarer that I find one funny. There just aren't any funny women out there, it's a shame. Regardless, I found Heigl cold, unemotional, and boring. I know she wasn't the original choice, and some of the other options were Jennifer Love Hewitt and Kate Bosworth, but c'mon. Catherine Keener was a fantastic choice for the leading lady in his other picture, and I think Apatow could have probably picked someone as talented, only younger.

I highly doubt there's people out there who haven't seen this movie, but if you haven't, you should. It has something for everybody. It's funny, smart, crude, romantic, and it even plays with the heartstrings on more than one occasion. I had the wonderful experience of seeing this in theatres with nobody around. I mean 200 seats, 1 lucky devil plunked right down in the middle of it all. I don't have a kid, so this movie doesn't hit me on the same level as it would a parent, but I can certainly appreciate the struggle, confusion and frustration people must feel in this kind of situation. And since I'm such an alpha male, I don't mind admitting that when the credits rolled, I had a little eye welling going on. Between the movie's touching final moments, the great credits, and the beautiful soundtrack provided by Loudon Wainwright, I knew that Mr. Apatow had created something a little extra special.

10/10
User Image
Review by bluemeanie
Added: November 28, 2007
Not sure why it took me so long to see this one, especially since I am a huge Judd Apatow fan, but it did and finally I can say that I've seen each and every film he's done. "Knocked Up" is his follow-up to "The 40-Year-Old Virgin", as writer and director, and it shows a director who has now firmly come into his own in the world of cinema. Apatow has an odd writing style, and you can't always tell whether he's been really honest or really dishonest as to the realities of life, but it always finds a way to make you laugh. Apatow also has this knack for finding those little pieces of heart in some of the most disgusting and painful situations imaginable. It's comedy with caring.

The film stars Seth Rogen as Ben Stone, a pot smoking slacker who wants to start up his adult website as soon as possible. Why? Because after a one night stand with Alison (Katherine Heigl), he has impregnated her and needs to start acting like an adult. Most of the film deals with Ben and Alison trying to make it as a couple, even though neither of them really know what they're doing or how to do it. Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd play Alison's sister and brother-in-law, who are the model for dysfunctional marriages. The great Harold Ramis pops up as Ben's father, Jonah Hill and Jay Baruchel as two of Ben's friends and the hilarious Kristen Wiig as Alison's superior.

This movie is just flat out funny. It seems ridiculous and juvenile on the surface, but Apatow finds so many ways to insert little bits of social commentary and family satire that you just can't help but fall in love. What Apatow does is not make fun of his characters. He genuinely makes you love them, and that's why we're laughing with them and not at them. The comedy is raw and uncensored, but the targets of the comedy are people we have grown to care about. That is the difference between a film like this and a disaster like "The Heartbreak Kid". Apatow is still, in my opinion, the closest thing we have to John Hughes right now and he continues to show that with his astute and spot-on directing. "Knocked Out" is one of the funniest films of the year.

8.5/10.
BuryMeAlive #1: BuryMeAlive - added October 27, 2007 at 12:52pm
It has some fun moments, but it's fucking long (over 2 hours), and well not all that.
Tristan #2: Tristan - added October 27, 2007 at 12:59pm
Your grammar is "not all that"
Crispy #3: Crispy - added October 27, 2007 at 6:16pm
You chauvinistic bastard! Actually, been meaning to see this one, Rogen's character in 40 Year Old Virgin provided the majority of my favorite scenes there.
BuryMeAlive #4: BuryMeAlive - added October 27, 2007 at 7:48pm
Oh, a attack on my grammar, that will make the movie much better...
bluemeanie #5: bluemeanie - added October 27, 2007 at 10:57pm
This was a great film. A fantastic comedy. Judd Apatow might be the best writer in the business right now. He's certainly the hottest. His films have so much more to offer than just conventional laughs, and that's what I love about them. They have intelligence and heart. Great film! 9/10.
Vash #6: Vash - added October 28, 2007 at 3:10am
i'll admit i was expecting the movie's pacing to be a little bit different, so it was a bit jarring for me to watch at first, and this may have had an impact on how i saw the film. that being said, there was about 45 minutes where i didn't laugh once, but instead just wanted to hit one of the characters on the screen. i'm really not jiving with the whole judd apatow phenomenon, and the unbelievable amount of hype and praise around this film is just too much for me to handle. it simply is not as good as everyone's been saying it is. i understand that it's realistic and not going for cheap laughs. great. that doesn't necessarily mean it succeeds as a comedy, as i wasn't LAUGHING for a significant portion of the film. did anyone else want to punch leslie mann in the face?
Nirrad #7: Nirrad - added October 30, 2007 at 12:50pm
This movie is shit.............THE shit that is. The movie was completely different then I thought it was going to be, and thats a good thing. So many quotable lines in this movie, and I highly suggest people checking out the deleted scenes as the scene with Jonah Hill and Katherine Heigl discussing Brokeback Mountain.
Nirrad #8: Nirrad - added October 30, 2007 at 12:51pm
..............is hilarious.



My bad..lol.
cky2kendall #9: cky2kendall - added November 1, 2007 at 5:26pm
Honestly, I expected more from this. I expected a lot of the jokes, and felt Seth's crew of comics weren't featured as much as they could be. Most of the time, it just felt really boring to me. I dunno, I might check it out again and see if my feelings about the movie have changed. But right now, this definitely isn't up there as one of the best comedies of the year.

5/10
grain of sand #10: grain of sand - added November 5, 2007 at 3:35pm
I love paul rudd, marijuana, rogen and crew, and shroom jokes.. but like cky2kendall said, there was a very promininent slice of movie where I didn't laugh and I just wanted the shit to end.. the sappy romantic nonsense did absolutely nothing for me and I'm totally into that sometimes, but fuck.

the good jokes were worth it when the credits started rolling, but I will not sit through a movie with miss heigl in it again, unless she starts doing nude scenes.

6/10
Tristan #11: Tristan - added November 29, 2007 at 12:44am
I don't know what's better. That it was re-reviewed, or given the wrong name.
Crispy #12: Crispy - added January 27, 2009 at 2:34pm
Surprisingly, Jonah Hill didn't annoy the everliving shit out of me like he usually does. Pretty good flick here.
Optimus Prime #13: Optimus Prime - added January 27, 2009 at 8:26pm
When was Jonah Hill in this?
Optimus Prime #14: Optimus Prime - added January 27, 2009 at 8:29pm
Oh yeah... he was in his little group of friends.
Tristan #15: Tristan - added January 27, 2009 at 8:53pm
To be perfectly honest, I understand people's hate for Jonah Hill. I used to like him, but after seeing him in a few more movies, I find him kind of annoying as well. Still, he's a funny kid.
Optimus Prime #16: Optimus Prime - added January 27, 2009 at 8:55pm
Exactly... he's funny, but you can't keep up with the same comedy act when there's 5 other actors in the same movie doing the same thing. Gets old, real old.
Tristan #17: Tristan - added January 27, 2009 at 9:04pm
To be fair, I don't really see it as acting. The way my friends and I talk, it's how they talk. Non-stop insults and gay jokes. Hell, you know more than anyone how many homo jokes we spit at each other. If someone plunked a camera down in front of us, we'd produce the same scenes more or less.
Optimus Prime #18: Optimus Prime - added January 27, 2009 at 9:28pm
That's probably why I hate it and dudebros with no ability to get out their own jokes love this stuff.
Lucid Dreams #19: Lucid Dreams - added June 1, 2010 at 3:20pm
Katherine Heigl you sexy fucking bitch and want to do so many nasty things to you. The movie was good. 8/10
Sign up to add your comment. Sign up to add your comment.
Recommended Movies
The 40-Year-Old Virgin This Is 40 Forgetting Sarah Marshall Zack And Miri Make A Porno Superbad Opie Gets Laid Pillow Talk Tomcats The King Of Staten Island American Pie Presents: Beta House Say It Isn't So National Lampoon's Adam & Eve I Love You, Man Bridesmaids Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story American Pie 2 American Wedding Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason
Layout, reviews and code © 2000-2024 | Privacy Policy
Contact: Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Review Updates