Thoughts on 2007: Knocked Up

I'm an unapologetic Apatow Fan. Not that I would have anything to apologize for, dammit.

I feel like a lot's happened since Knocked Up was released. A lot of my commentary about the rise of Apatow now seems defunct, but that's okay. Simply put, the dude makes a kind of comedy's I really like/appreciate/relate to. Freaks and Geeks. Undeclared. The 40 Year Old Virgin. All stuff with the same sensibility. Their "raunch" comes less from the frat world, or teens sneaking around trying to see girls in their underwear, and more from guys dishing forth the most (bad?) language. And it's great. It's believable. And best of all it's relatable. There isn't too much of a science to it. It's honest, it's crude, it's reference-y without ever seeming too clever (the key to nailing a reference is simple people, either give the actor a moment like they had to think of it or deliver the line with a kind of "real life performance"... you know, the way anyone does in reality.

Anyway, oh yeah, my point! Not that I had one. Apatow's work succeeds by seeming human and Knocked Up was the most human feature to date. We haven't seen a repeat of Freaks and Geeks quality yet, but that's okay. And I won't lessen the value of Knocked Up by saying it's "surprisingly sweet" or something of that ilk. Because I found it surprisingly poignant. That's a pretty lofty word to describe a movie that talks about pubic hair getting on poop, but fuck it... I'm calling this duck a duck. I've seen a ton of those comedic pregnancy movies and I didn't like any of them (that I can remember right now). Yet I connected with this one. Why? Sure, I was a total sucker for the ending pics of the cast and crew with they' babies. It tugged at my heart and here were all these people. None of them were ready for parenthood, least of all probably Judd Apatow. But that's okay. Parenthood is acknowledging your lack of preparation. That means you care and are already leagues ahead of other parents. This movie gets that. It also has the courage to admit your going to shit yourself in front of total strangers.

Honesty! It's where it's at!

Recommendation: Extremely High. VERY FUNNY.