by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
B+ Rated R 129 min
Writer/director Judd Apatow hit the ground running with this follow-up scenario to his wildly successful 40 Year Old Virgin. It comes close to the outrageous comedy that made Virgin a smash hit, but falls short of Virgin’s impact. Nonetheless, it’s funny with a masterfully crafted comedic script.
Katherine Heigl portrays Alison Scott, an on-air personality with E channel who goes out with her sister to a bar, gets drunk, and ends up sleeping with a complete stranger, Ben Stone (Seth Rogen). During the excitement of the one-night tryst, Ben did not use a condom. Consequently, Alison gets pregnant–a predicament to which many young women can relate.
The premise deals with this traumatic event with compassion and humor, answering the question: What are the chances of a woman getting pregnant from a one night stand, and ultimately, the man turning out to be Mr. Right? Yes, the chances are astronomically negative. However, Apatow’s scenario plays with this question as fertile material for continuous laughs throughout the picture.
To make Alison’s situation more untenable, Ben is a bong sucking slacker who has no job and lives with a gaggle of losers. Clearly, he’s no Adonis, but a chubby guy who rarely gets lucky. In contrast, Alison is beautiful and committed to her career in broadcast journalism. Now her world is turned upside down by her drunken indiscretion. Her sister, Debbie (Leslie Mann), is married to Pete (Paul Rudd) who married her when she got pregnant, so sis can identify with Alison’s dilemma. Rudd is funny as Debbie’s acerbic husband who sneaks off to play fantasy baseball.
Ah yes, does Alison abort the baby or keep it? Being pregnant came at the worst time for Alison, who just got a promotion to on-air anchor. First, she decides to have the baby and hide her pregnancy from her boss, who is already pressuring her to lose weight. Ben is flummoxed by this turn of events. He decides to do the right thing and be supportive of Alison. Now he has to grow up rapidly, find a job and get an apartment. Sometimes, a guy like Ben needs to be shocked out of his lazy lifestyle and become a man. But, he has no compass for such a drastic change.
Likewise, Alison has to face a new level of maturity from her carefree single life. So these two mismatched parents-to-be must find some common ground. Fortunately, they decide to talk it out and perhaps find an equitable solution for both of them. This setup is cleverly written by Apatow who uses the characters’ dilemma as a springboard for his droll comedic writing.
Seth Rogen, as Ben, is a natural comedic actor who delivers his lines with perfect timing and panache. Viewers see him mature in front of their eyes as he meets the challenges of his new life. The nagging question viewers will ask at this point in the story is: could Alison actually love this teddy bear guy? The answer is yes! He’s sweet and loving to her even when her hormone imbalance causes her to turn into a raving she-devil.
Ben’s goofy friends are supportive, although they are still stoned out of their minds most of the time. But Ben sobers up and is gradually coming to terms with his quantum leap to maturity. On the other hand, Alison has many doubts, especially about Ben being her soul mate. And how long can she hide her bulging tummy? When her boss does find out, he’s mad that she didn’t tell him. However, his market research reveals that her audience relates to her pregnancy and it has already enhanced her numbers. So, at least her job is safe–for now.
Again, Apatow proves that he can deliver a funny script and cast actors who understand his humor and can effectively act out its full comedy potential. Rogen and Heigl have great chemistry together and convince the viewers that two mismatched people can fall in love, against all odds.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
