DVD Review: Region 1
Words: Konrad Obiora
Picture: Suzanne Hanover; © 2007 Universal Pictures
The hype generated by some sections of the British press about Knocked Up following its release in the cinemas in August 2007 was overblown.
Knocked Up is an amusing film and does deliver funny lines and contains some very funny set pieces but it is not a film that will change the course of American comedy in anyway.
In fact, Knocked Up is more a tribute to some of the classic American comedies of the late 1970s and early 1980s by directors such as John Landis and starring actors like Bill Murray and John Blush. Your reviewer could not help but think that the casting of Harold Ramis as the father of Seth Rogan's character Ben Stone was a nod to that generation of comedy film directors and actors.
On watching the DVD it was clear to see how much writer/director Judd Apatow must have been influenced by films like Animal House (1978) and Stripes (1981) for example.
Knocked Up has the veneer of being an irreverent film. Ben is a twentysomething slacker with no responsibilities except to getting stoned on marijuana and working with his fellow slackers on constructing a website called fleshofthestars.com for film fans who want know in what films and for how long their favourite stars are naked.
But in many ways Knocked Up is a very traditional American romcom once you take away the drugs, the references to soft porn and adolescent/high school pranks. At its basic level Knocked Up is about two mismatched people who fall in love through adversity.
Knocked Up tells the story of Katherine Hegel (Alison Scott) and Ben Stone who, after a drunken one-night stand, have to deal with Katherine's unplanned pregnancy and the prospects of becoming parents.
Unlike Ben, Katherine has a career working in television. After a surprise promotion as a presenter on the American entertainment show E! News pregnancy is the last thing she was in her life.
It is clear early in the film that Katherine is not keen to become a parent too soon as she watches her sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) and brother-in-law Pete (Paul Rudd) cope with their two daughters and struggle to maintain a marriage.
During the course of the film the audience follows Katherine and Ben during the nine months of pregnancy and their trials and tribulations as they adapt to their new life as a couple.
Knocked Up is an enjoyable, feel-good film with a satisfying if somewhat predictable ending.
Link
Official website
Words: Konrad Obiora
Picture: Suzanne Hanover; © 2007 Universal Pictures
The hype generated by some sections of the British press about Knocked Up following its release in the cinemas in August 2007 was overblown.
Knocked Up is an amusing film and does deliver funny lines and contains some very funny set pieces but it is not a film that will change the course of American comedy in anyway.
In fact, Knocked Up is more a tribute to some of the classic American comedies of the late 1970s and early 1980s by directors such as John Landis and starring actors like Bill Murray and John Blush. Your reviewer could not help but think that the casting of Harold Ramis as the father of Seth Rogan's character Ben Stone was a nod to that generation of comedy film directors and actors.
On watching the DVD it was clear to see how much writer/director Judd Apatow must have been influenced by films like Animal House (1978) and Stripes (1981) for example.
Knocked Up has the veneer of being an irreverent film. Ben is a twentysomething slacker with no responsibilities except to getting stoned on marijuana and working with his fellow slackers on constructing a website called fleshofthestars.com for film fans who want know in what films and for how long their favourite stars are naked.
But in many ways Knocked Up is a very traditional American romcom once you take away the drugs, the references to soft porn and adolescent/high school pranks. At its basic level Knocked Up is about two mismatched people who fall in love through adversity.
Knocked Up tells the story of Katherine Hegel (Alison Scott) and Ben Stone who, after a drunken one-night stand, have to deal with Katherine's unplanned pregnancy and the prospects of becoming parents.
Unlike Ben, Katherine has a career working in television. After a surprise promotion as a presenter on the American entertainment show E! News pregnancy is the last thing she was in her life.
It is clear early in the film that Katherine is not keen to become a parent too soon as she watches her sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) and brother-in-law Pete (Paul Rudd) cope with their two daughters and struggle to maintain a marriage.
During the course of the film the audience follows Katherine and Ben during the nine months of pregnancy and their trials and tribulations as they adapt to their new life as a couple.
Knocked Up is an enjoyable, feel-good film with a satisfying if somewhat predictable ending.
Link
Official website
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