Knocked Up (2007)

	Directed by: Judd Apatow	COUNTRY USA GENRE Comedy/Drama/Romance NORWEGIAN TITLE Knocked Up RUNNING TIME 129 minutes
	Produced by: Judd Apatow Shauna Robertson Clayton Townsend
	Written by: Judd Apatow

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Ben Stone	Seth Rogen
Alison Scott	Katherine Heigl
Pete	Paul Rudd
Debbie	Leslie Mann
Jason	Jason Segel	½
Jay	Jay Baruchel	½
Jonah	Jonah Hill	½
Martin	Martin Starr	½
Jodi	Charlyne Yi
Alison's Mom	Joanna Kerns
Ben's Dad	Harold Ramis
Jack	Alan Tudyk
Jill	Kristen Wiig
Brent	Bill Hader
Dr. Howard	Loudon Wainwright
Himself	James Franco

Review

Knocked Up proves that it actually is possible to combine the goofball, pot-smoking youth culture humour of the 2000s with a real, sensitive and heartfelt portrayal of the whole process of contemporary human reproduction – from one-night-stand through unlikely pregnancy to the wonders of birth. The man who did the job (read: the film) is Judd Apatow, and his film is a deferential document of the time and culture in question, incorporating authentic people and, not least, authentic hardships into a plot that in other hands easily could have developed into your run-of-the-mill youth/sex comedy.

What sets Knocked Up apart, in addition to the well-dosaged, rather tasty comedy and some fine, layered characterizations, is that it pins down the indistinct male role of today. This role is confusing for many young men, and it leads to situations similar to those Apatow captures with Knocked Up: guys sharing flats with their pals into their late 20s, living rather apathetic, isolated lives with virtuality as their number one emotional stimulus. Luckily, like most sharp-eyed sociologists, Apatow passes no judgement; he embraces the situation and the opportunities that lie ahead for this remarkably enlightened but rather indifferent generation. These guys, like the guys in Juno, know that everything is going to turn out fine in the end. Unlike previous generations, they have an abundance of time on their hands – probably, as Apatow suggests, far more than their gender counterparts who, understandably, are a little more in a hurry. Knocked Up is a revealing and perceptive film, perhaps even beyond its own ambitions. And it is very entertaining as well.