Why is it that romantic comedies don't typically appeal to both sexes? You'd think both men and women would have a vested interest in an entertaining feature about something as universal as finding love and romance, yet unless it's particularly well-written or original, the romantic comedy is almost always synonymous with the oft-reviled ""chick flick"" subgenre.
If the traditional chick flick assumes the female perspective, usually personified by an American sweetheart like Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan and so on, the male-centered romantic comedy is often a raunchy, R-rated sex romp. Despite the underlying sweetness that offsets the crassness in a popular sex comedy, the focus in these films is firmly on the sexual component—an element that certainly lures in the male audience more than sappy displays of emotion.
But if sex and romance are both integral parts of the genre, why don't more movies incorporate both of them organically and thus maximize their potential audience? That's where writer/director Judd Apatow comes in. After a lengthy career in television, in which he most recently created two underrated, underappreciated dramedies (""Freaks and Geeks"" and ""Undeclared""), Apatow gave us 2005's ""The 40-Year-Old Virgin,"" arguably the funniest movie of the last ten years. With that enormously auspicious debut, Apatow catalyzed Steve Carell's rapid rise to stardom, bestowed generous screen time to his fantastic ensemble and managed to effortlessly marry hysterical vulgarity with authentic tenderness. After such a phenomenal home run, sophomore slump seemed almost inevitable.
""Knocked Up"" doesn't come out for another month, but after word-of-mouth factors in, it will receive the same kind of blockbuster success ""The 40-Year-Old Virgin"" did. The plot really doesn't sound too different from any other estrogen-laden rom-com involving babies: an odd couple (Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl) accidentally find themselves dealing with an unplanned pregnancy after a drunken one-night stand, and in the tumultuous process of preparing for the child's entry into the world, they fall in love with each other. But the difference, as ""The 40-Year-Old Virgin"" so adeptly proved, is in the execution.
Ben Stone (Rogen in a star-making performance) is a goofy, immature pothead living with his even goofier quartet of buddies, whose only ambition is to create a website devoted to cataloguing celebrity nudity in movies (you see, they haven't heard of Mr. Skin). Allison Scott (Heigl) is a beautiful, upwardly mobile career woman. A night of inebriated celebration leads to sex and, from Allison's perspective, regret in the morning. Ben is still interested, but Allison remains unimpressed with him and his questionable career goals, so the two unceremoniously part ways. But after she finds out she's pregnant, Allison contacts Ben, informing him that she intends to keep the child, and he soon agrees to take an active part in raising the baby with her.
Like any great romantic comedy, the supporting cast is just as important as the principals, and Apatow's crew of regulars is fantastic. Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Jason Segel and Martin Starr round out Ben's quirky, constantly toking pals, while Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd contribute hugely as Allison's sister and her sardonically unhappy husband.
As in ""The 40-Year-Old Virgin,"" any scene of interaction with the ensemble is absolutely hilarious, and once again, Rudd earns the majority of the laughs. The friendship Rudd and Rogen form is a pivotal highlight, and when the two start playing off each other, the laughter they incite will effectively drown out the subsequent dialogue (and encourage multiple repeat viewings). Mann, Apatow's real-life wife, also gets to shine in ""Knocked Up,"" convincingly embodying a character who can appear shrewish and unlikable one minute and vulnerably lovable the next. If any Oscar nominations result from this film, they will undoubtedly be for Rudd and/or Mann.
However, that's not to say that Heigl or Rogen are slouches. Although the movie is definitely Rogen's to carry (which he easily does), the gorgeous Heigl proves herself a capable comedic actress and is given enough gags of her own to milk for utmost effect. The two have considerable chemistry with each other, not an easy feat considering that the film's primary dramatic suspense centers on them successfully staying together. While most romantic comedies get mileage out of teasingly keeping their leads apart until the very end, ""Knocked Up"" slyly tweaks the formula and has us rooting for them to stick it out. You may at first be cheering for Ben to continue his carefree, bong-fueled lifestyle but, by the end, you enthusiastically await his ascent into adult responsibility.
There's really little else to say about the movie and its specifics, as you'd be best off avoiding in-depth articles and going into ""Knocked Up"" as oblivious as possible. This is a film that most of us will see more than once in the theater, own on DVD, and cherish for years to come. Some will criticize it for being bloated or sloppy, as it clocks in at well over two hours and could have feasibly been shortened, but it packs more chuckles and belly laughs into every single glorious minute than any comedy this decade. Filled with warmth, profane wit, more astute pop culture references than Kevin Smith's entire body of work, and plenty of surprising insight, ""Knocked Up"" is an infectious, crowd-pleasing, instant classic. Do not miss it.
