Knocked Up

Ah, the joys of an unanticipated pregnancy. Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen in Judd Apatow’s <i>Knocked Up</i>.

Ah, the joys of an unanticipated pregnancy. Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up.

Rated 4.0

One night, an ambitious and babelicious young journalist (Katherine Heigl) hooks up with a goofball stoner (Seth Rogen) who’s hard not to like but hardly life-mate material. That matters, see, because he gets her pregnant. And she wants the baby. After a sluggish setup, writer-director Judd Apatow (Freaks and Geeks, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) sheds the dumb-joke padding and finds an impressively character-driven stride. The accidental couple’s halting courtship, and particularly their marvelously controlled fight scenes, reveal Apatow as a filmmaker of real maturity and serious ambition. It’s almost like you can feel him getting bored with his own high-concept shtick, and rightly so; Knocked Up really comes alive when it has something to say about the thorny responsibilities—and unexpected blessings—of adult relationships. The whole premise of the thing is a gesture of good faith, which should tip you off to its generous disposition. Also with fine supporting work from Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd as the mom-to-be’s sister and brother-in-law.