Hackney Gazette Knocked Up Certificate: 15 This is another simple but riotously funny tale from the director who bought us The 40-Year-Old Virgin. It tells the story of the gorgeous Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) who falls pregnant after having a one-night stand with Ben Stone (Seth Rogen), a contented loser and illegal immigrant from Canada. The rude awakening of an unplanned pregnancy threatens to disrupt Ben’s life with his motley crew of marijuana-loving roomies, whose lives consist of insulting each other and unsuccessfully attempting to set up a soft-porn website. Alison, on the other hand, works as an entertainment reporter for the E! Channel, a superficial environment that does not look too kindly on swollen ankles gracing the red carpet. Seth Rogen injects Ben Stone with a winning concoction of qualities, that combines potty mouthed slackerdom, with a naive charm. Whilst bedding the gorgeous Heigl he exclaims ‘You’re prettier than me’, the incredulity in his voice striking a cord with any guy in the cinema whose has got lucky. Heigl brings a compelling edge to her prom queen looks. A slight look of derangement etched on her face turns into fully frenzied, hormonal outbursts as the birth approaches. Immersed in the vacuous land of fat-hating celebville, she defies stereotype by loving the funny but fleshy Rogen who, as her deliciously acidic sister (Leslie Mann) points out, possesses ‘man boobs’. Paul Rudd, as Alison’s brother-in-law, is particularly effective as Rogen’s confidante, lamenting his lost youth as he goes through his own, Alfa-male, life crisis. He becomes Rogen’s male bonding partner and their trip to Cirque du Soleil, whilst under the influence of magic mushrooms, is a scene not to be missed. The director Judd Apatow creates a perfect comedy by managing to offset the bawdiness and the testosterone-fuelled crassness with a dialogue that also conveys the bewildering process of becoming a parent with someone you only conceived with after one too many beers. A particularly hilarious intercourse scene demonstrates the unexplored hang-ups of expectant parents in its own irrepressibly crude way. All in all Knocked Up is a first-rate comedy. It’s about people making mistakes and those mistakes becoming the best thing that ever happened to them. A lot like life really.		Next article >