What the movie excels at are its brief scenes about Hollywood, which should be no surprise as Apatow worked on one of the best “inside Hollywood” shows, The Larry Sanders Show. The executives at E! and the cameos, especially and unexpectedly Ryan Seacrest's hilarious turn, who is usually at the other end of these gags, were the most insightful and funny. I wanted more of that rather than returning to the relationship and its predictable path.
There are some unintentionally funny moments as well during Ben and Alison’s sex scenes because she always has her bra on. The movie draws attention to it indirectly due to Ben and his buddies attempting to create a website filled with information about actresses’ nude scenes. I understand if actress Katherine Heigl has come a long way since Bug Buster and doesn’t want to do nude scenes anymore, but why didn’t Apatow shoot around it? It’s not live show; it’s a movie where cameras can be placed and bodies positioned to create illusions. It’s part of what directors do.
Fans of The 40 Year-Old Virgin should enjoy Knocked Up. The film has some amusing moments, but no great comic scenes that stand out. Waiting to see it on home video in a few months or even skipping it all together won’t have you missing out on what everyone is talking about.
Article comments
1 - Donna A.
Good review. I am looking forward in seeing this. So far a lot of people have given this a thumbs up. I did like 40 Year Old Virgin. And I didn't think I would.
Donna A.
2 - El Bicho
Thanks, Donna.
3 - razie
it was stupid
4 - bjjones
Horrible, low-class movie...Lacks creativity (especially the dialogue). Can Hollywood not find any writers that write anything besides a script with every other word being the F-word? Very sad state if most of the critics out there find this to be a great movie. Where do they get their credentials anyway? I can see how very young, immature men would laugh out loud at this....Beyond that...Who really finds any value here?