By Kevin McCarthy

I’ve been waiting on KNOCKED UP for a while. 

The “aughts” started off by continuing the trend towards safer comedies and horror flicks. Even the sequels to AMERICAN PIE were gut-wrenchingly tepid. Luckily, the recent backlash against films like THE GRUDGE and CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN has been quick and definitive.  A couple years ago, THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN arrived as a testament to everything an R-rated comedy could be. It had a plot and real characters and wasn’t afraid of sincerity, plus it was one of the funniest movies of the year. As you know, VIRGIN was very well received and catapulted Steve Carell into full-fledged stardom. Writer/Director Judd Apatow’s follow-up, which opened June 1st, will do the same for Seth Rogen. KNOCKED UP is this summer’s comedy, and I’m betting it’ll have better legs than all the blockbuster sequels we’ve seen so far this season.  I’m praying I'll also get to review the DVD release, because you have to figure it’ll be packed with hysterical extras.

Rogen plays Ben Stone, a stoner who’s working with his friends to launch a celebrity skin website. Katherine Heigl is Alison Scott, an E! channel employee who has just been promoted to host. The two hit it off at a bar and the subsequent one-night stand obviously doesn’t go as planned. The bulk of the movie is about the pregnancy and all the snags along the way. And, much like VIRGIN, the story far exceeds its simple premise. A constant in Apatow’s career is his knack for crafting likable characters, and this was no exception. First of all, the supporting cast is tremendous. Ben’s roommates (Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill and Martin Starr) have great chemistry and deliver some of the most quotable dialogue of the film. Leslie Mann’s Debbie is Alison’s sister and wife to Pete, played by Paul Rudd in another terrific turn. The bickering between the married couple is great, but the scenes that Rudd shares with Rogen are what really separate KNOCKED UP from the other comedies of this generation. The two play so well off each other and somehow transform one another so easily; it was a pleasure to watch. Given these two male archetypes (stoner-slacker and miserable husband), their mere interaction changes the two into dynamic characters. In a genre where story usually isn’t everything, you have to applaud the filmmakers for crafting what amounts to not only a funny movie, but a genuinely GOOD movie. Apatow has collected a number of actors with whom he shares a lot of trust, and the results are obvious.

It’s unfortunate that I’m writing this review only a few hours after watching it. Comedies really deserve some time to percolate, and optimally a second viewing. Actually, the audience was laughing so much, I rarely caught the dialogue after a gag. And where KNOCKED UP didn’t have me gasping for air between jokes, it consistently nailed every comedic beat. There isn’t a bad joke in the entire 129-minute run time. You won’t be pissing yourself in a BORAT sort of way, but you also won’t be bored by the same old shtick like you might have been with Baron Cohen’s movie. So, while this might not be the vicious counterattack that torture porn horror has launched against the Japanese-style creepy child thrillers of Hollywood, KNOCKED UP will embolden all of us who call for our comedy unfiltered. If you haven't already, go see this movie -- preferably at a time when a number of other people will be in the theater as well.  You’ll be doing yourself a disservice to catch this one solo.