dj4our Blog

R for sexual content, drug use and language.

2 hrs. 9 min.

written by: Judd Apatow

produced by: Judd Apatow, Shauna Robertson & Clayton Townsend

directed by: Judd Apatow

So I finally got around to seeing what is being touted as the best comedy of the year. That's really not saying much just cuz there just aren't many good comedies out there. In fact, there's currently not many good comedies period. Notice how I don't really review too many comedies? That's cuz most of the comedies out there are awful and awfully unfunny. Maybe it's cuz my taste for cinematic humor can range from "Rushmore" to "Hot Fuzz", films that aren't necessarily labeled as straight-up "comedies" but tend to serve my funny bone a lot more the some senseless (and often tasteless) guffaws seen in most comedies. I mean, really....Ben Stiller is fast becoming the Steven Seagal of comedy!

When a comedy does come around that gets generally good reviews by both critics and average viewers as myself, I usually take note and wait for the film's DVD release. Unless, I'm in a rare mood and getting out with a mess of pals, waiting for the DVD suits me fine what with all the bells and whistles studios cram into their films. That's exactly what happened to this genuinely funny, raunchy yet real look at a freak encounter between a silly shlub of a man and a beautiful babe that (let's face it) could only have happened with a ginormous consumption of booze.

The hit comedy by director Judd Apatow continues with his streak of re-establishing bawdy, R-rated comedies as viable box office success. I still haven't seen "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and will wait for the DVD release of "Superbad" as well (for the same reasons I waited for this film). Overall, the movie goes a lil overboard with the sexism and lewd commentaries but amid all that sophomoric hilarity, there is hope. That's cuz Apatow is dealing with mature topics like the repercussions of a one night stand as well as the strain of a marriage and raising children. I like that he's not afraid to write about actual life moments while at the same time indulging the rude-minded adolescent in all of us. Speaking of which....

Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) is in his mid-20s, slacking his way through life, living with his fellow pothead pals somewhere near Los Angeles. He's jobless, irresponsible, and sexist slob, who sits around with similar friends as they smoke pot and actually consider trying to find nudity in movies a job. While hanging with his pals at a nightclub one night, he stumbles into a drunken one-night-stand with ambitious entertainment reporter Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl). Of course, much hilarity follows due to the fact that, without the copious amounts of alcohol consumed, these two would likely never have come together, and they certainly would never have had unprotected sex. Ben is now faced with the prospect of being a father and has to figure out how to deal with responsibility not to mention how to stop being a selfish oaf and learn to make room in his life for two other people.

The two of them try to make a go at making a relationship work. That is, as much as you can after a one night stand which proves very interesting. After all, where do you go after you've gone all the way with someone you don't know? They don't have a whole lotta positive role models or influences to exemplify a working marriage either. Allison lives in the backyard bungalow of her sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) and brother-in-law Pete (Paul Rudd), a battling couple in their 30's with two adorably cute lil girls. As much time is spent on these two and their dysfunctional communication (or lack of) as the two main characters, which I believe actually helped the movie. Their story is almost equal to the main plot in humor and importance cuz it's their often bickering lives that Allison and Ben look at and wonder if that's where they'll wind up in two years. Without them as a does of hard reality, I don't think the weight of the film's theme would not be as clearly felt.

Not to mention that these actors together adds up to an unbelievable comedic foursome, grabbing laughs by handfuls and also nailing the right emotional beats to make the film so much more than a standard gross-out post-sex comedy. Of course these four are only the fraction of the comedy equation in this movie. Ben's stoner buddies, all regular Apatow cast members and "Freaks & Geeks" alumni like Jason Segal and Martin Starr, "Undeclared" star Jay Baruchel, and the motormouth of "Superbad'" motormouth Jonah Hill all play the polar opposite to Ben's oncoming life of being a dad. These guys spend all their time coming up with insane bets and inventing asinine theories about getting stoned, getting laid, and basically doing nothing. Once Apatow gets the exchange going between these five friends, the results are funny yes but often shockingly so. Funny for shock sake is alright a coupla times but it crosses the line at times and becomes distracting and insulting after a while.

This is the first Apatow movie I've seen. I know all his trademarks already from his previous films that I just haven't gotten around to seeing. For some reason I found myself drawn to this one simply by the trailer and the poster. I wanted to see how this poor shlub good get such a hottie and based on the box office success this past summer, so did everyone else. So, it turns out that despite all the neuroses, despite the perverse humor, an Apatow script has a sweetness and real heart that has a draw. Very few other modern comedy directors could pull off the romantic side of Knocked Up, making Ben redeemable and finding a way to bring the main characters together in a way that is believable without pretensions.

Most reading this have probably seen this in the theater already. Since I did not, I can't really say what more the film's Extended & Unrated Edition DVD is giving viewers. I have no clue. I did notice that the length of the movie is a tad long. I usually don't notice time length when watching a movie but this one did seem to drag here and there. It wasn't annoying it was just....noticeable. Maybe some of the stoner banter coulda been cut and more time spent with Harold Ramis (as Ben's dad) and Joanna Kerns (as Allison's mom), I really enjoyed those characters and found myself wanting more. The theatrical running time was 129 minutes, while the new time is 133, so I guess there's not a large amount added.

This film was certainly a welcome surprise to me since there's just not many comedies out there that attract me. Sure it's kinda raunchy but it has enough reality and endearing elements to it that made it enjoyable and at times side-splittingly funny. I really enjoyed the main cast quite a bit. I've been a big fan of Leslie Mann's work since "Cable Guy" (which Apatow re-wrote and where he and Mann met) and even "George of the Jungle", so it's always good to see what she does next. I really enjoyed the interaction between Ben and Pete, I felt their friendship evolved quite naturally and real. I guess I could've done with a lil less of Ben's' stoner friends just for the sake of serving the main story better. But that's just a small gripe for a movie that naturally delivers some great laughs while not getting overly sweet with the sentiment.