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Knocked Up (2007)

Director: Judd Apatow

Time Out rating

Average user rating

56 reviews

Synopsis

The director of The 40-Year Old Virgin takes on parenthood.

Movie review

From Time Out London

‘Oh, baby, I like it raw,’ Ol’ Dirty Bastard sings over the opening credits of ‘Knocked Up’. Well, who doesn’t? And so, when slacker Ben (Seth Rogen) thinks Alison (Katherine Heigl), the hot aspiring TV presenter he’s somehow picked up at a club, tells him not to bother with a condom, he doesn’t. The results of this sozzled cock-up are an unwelcome pregnancy and the year’s best comedy; one that confirms the arrival of an extended group of talent that looks set to take the studio comedy crown from the likes of Ferrell, Stiller and Carrey, and deserves to.

Like Judd Apatow’s directorial debut, ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’, ‘Knocked Up’ takes a subject ripe for bawdy knockabout, delivers that with aplomb – here we get top gags about sneaking a peek at the gynaecologist’s, sex during pregnancy and crowning – but also offers a raft of nuanced, credible and moving relationships between a group of sympathetic, imperfect characters. Here we get Ben’s stoner roommates, whose pastimes include working on a celebrity skin website and not shaving for a year, and Alison’s sister, Debbie (Leslie Mann), whose marriage to Pete (Paul Rudd) offers salutary lessons on the ups and downs of shotgun matrimony a decade on.

Long rehearsals and plentiful improvisation are the trademarks of Apatow’s approach, and his well-established ensemble delivers not only killer laughs but also a palpable sense of affection; the family feel is enhanced by the fact that Mann is Apatow’s wife and Debbie’s kids their own. Both up-to-the-minute pop culture and Ben’s Jewishness are also disarmingly mined to impressive effect, and Rudd’s De Niro impression is an absolute hoot.

Author: Ben Walters

Time Out London Issue 1931: August 22-28 2007

User reviews of this film

barry said...

Posted on Jun 09 2008 17:35 Hated this film so, so much! to get such fawning reviews, every major critic who has recommended this film must have had a lobotomy. Horrid, banal.

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Corinne Shorrock said...

Posted on Feb 11 2008 14:33 This film is one of the best films i have seen..... i could watch it over and over ... it makes me laugh so much ... you need to see it if you haven't already =D

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Sharma said...

Posted on Oct 04 2007 21:47 Hilarious movie! Great cast - we all loved Freaks and Geeks! The best for one-liners. You catch more and more of them the more times you watch the film. I loved it!

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Caz said...

Posted on Oct 01 2007 13:50 this film is 1 amazin film who eva finks itz rubbish then u must b blind it is awsum 1 of the best ive eva seen!!!!!! loved evry moment of it!!!

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Caroline said...

Posted on Sep 29 2007 14:16 Absolutely awful film. Don't waste your time on it, I wish I hadn't!!!

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mary said...

Posted on Sep 28 2007 13:31 A stupid movie, with stupid actors, in a stupid story about a stupid woman who slept with a stupid (STUPID) man....That's all!!!!

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Fee said...

Posted on Sep 28 2007 12:22 best film like EVER. i laughed the whole way through it!!!

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jojo said...

Posted on Sep 27 2007 09:32 Amusing and beautifully acted but overlong and overrated.

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xxmelxx said...

Posted on Sep 26 2007 16:45 this film was fab dont listen to people who tell u if it is good or not watch it and see what you think.

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Leona Luk said...

Posted on Sep 24 2007 23:45 Certainly funny, it celebrates gross-out and heart-warming comedy equally, and does both well. I wouldn't quite believe slacker Ben and his friends if I haven't met people just like them. The side characters are not all that well developed, however it's seldom that they are; they are funny though and provide some really great moments. The main characters, Ben and Alison, are better defined, and well played, which causes the viewer to identify with them and care about their situation. Well done funniness.

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mel said...

Posted on Sep 23 2007 14:34 continued..the only funny thing on the film was the Robert De Niro impression n thats ur lot

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mel said...

Posted on Sep 23 2007 14:31 People who find this film funny have a borin sense of humour as the film is borin and cringy as it tries to be funny but it just isnt it makes u cringe. in my book i call films like Meet The Parents or the Shrek films side splitting funny this is borin n u can't wait 4 it to finish!

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kanishka said...

Posted on Sep 22 2007 13:06 Amazing out of the stereotype comedy...good fun, suitable for people of all ages!!

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Boris said...

Posted on Sep 21 2007 23:03 Didn't personally find it as funny as the 40 Year Old Virgin [but, obviously, to each his own]. Clever film, nonetheless!

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raq said...

Posted on Sep 20 2007 20:26 da film is so good must seee itsd exxiting at every bit i mean every bit

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