Knocked Up

Knocked Up

So, why is this a movie of my 20's?

Did I father a child in my 20’s? NO! Just to clarify that. I think you would have known 😉 

Parenthood came for me at age 31, but back in 2007, at the tender young age of 25, I stumbled across this film on DVD, after it breezed into theatres. It would be the Sleeper Hit that year, and explore the well known “Guy gets a Girl pregnant and has 9 Months to Get his Shit Together” story line we’d seen before, but do it better than any other film before. 

With previous films tackling this concept, with heart-warming titles like “9 Months” starring Hugh Grant, or “Fools Rush In” starring Matthew Perry, this film was simply called “Knocked Up!”. The title was as blatant and as crude as you could be, and the movie’s plot needed no explanation thanks to it’s honest name. But what surprised me, and most people who saw this film, was that beyond the brash title, the crude humour, the swearing and pot smoking, there is a sweet story at it’s core. 

2007 was the year that launched the careers of a select group of actors known as the “Frat Pack”, which is a twist on the original “Rat Pack” of the 1960’s led by Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr and the “Brat Pack” of the 1980’s, led by actors such as Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald. In fact, there are two forms of the “Frat Pack” considered in today’s movie scene, the first being the cohort of actors who have appeared in some of the biggest comedies since the mid 90’s. This is your Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrel and Vince Vaughan. But in the past decade, the other Frat Pack has come along, and brought their own unique brand of humour, storylines and characterisations to the movie scene. And they’re hilarious! 

In Knocked Up, Seth Rogen is in the lead, after popping up in supporting roles for the two years prior to this. He plays Ben, a carefree, careless, cannabis smoking goof. He lives with a bunch of pals, and let’s just say no one there is trying to get any of them to grow up in any shape, way or form. Together, this pack of dopes is building the ultimate porn site, called “Flesh of the Stars”. Its premise is simple; think of an actress you like, and you want to know at which point in which movie she appears naked. Slowly but surely, they do their “research” and build the site. 

A world away from Ben, is Allison (Katherine Heigl), who is working as a floor manager for the TV show “E”, standing by as famous celebrities are interviewed. She gets called into the office one day, and is offered the chance to interview on camera. She accepts, and heads out on the town with her older sister Debbie to celebrate. It’s at some nightclub she meets Ben, and the two get to talking, dancing, drinking… and shagging! It’s a one-night stand, a momentary fling, as Allison is out for a good time and Ben just so happens to be the lucky idiot in the right place at the right time. They mate, he ditches the rubber, but neither of them are sober enough to realise what’s happened. 

The next morning, they head out for breakfast, with the night before a blur, then part ways, never expecting to see each other again. Why would they? They’re worlds apart, and one-night flings end the morning after, don’t they?

Weeks pass by, and Allison discovers she’s pregnant. She works out who the father is, and gets in touch with Ben. Amused she has contacted him and confident he’s going to score for the second time, Ben agrees to meet up with Allison. Over dinner, she drops the bomb. 

“I’m pregnant” she says

“Fuck off!” Ben says “What?”

“I’m pregnant”

“With emotion?” he suggests

“With a baby. You’re the father!” 

An argument follows, but the two compose themselves and start the procedures. This is where the film turns into new territory, and if you thought it couldn’t go anywhere interesting, it takes you plenty of places that show how a young couple, forced into a relationship, will affect the lives of everyone around them.

Knocked Up is smarter that it’s title would suggest, and sticks to its roots of being a crude comedy, but this works well with the story, and not as a distraction. The characters are well written, and well-cast, with Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen having good chemistry together. Heigl had been a former child actor and regular on Grey’s Anatomy, so could handle the character and material confidently. But who knew of Seth Rogen before this? His true fans will remember him from the short-lived but popular show “Freaks and Geeks”, which also co-starred some of his Frat Pack buddies. Rogen showed a comic timing and ability to do drama that was well balanced and confident, which served him well in this film, and allowed him to go on and quickly gain likeability as a new leading man of comedy movies from the mid 00’s and onward.

Knocked Up has many of the expectant moments you’d find in a movie about pregnancy, but handles them all with a twist. When Ben goes with Allison to have her first scan, he realises how much he is out of his comfort zone, as sitting opposite him is a mother with a baby – and the baby is ugly. He can’t help but look at it’s odd shaped head and vacant stare, as Ben no doubt tackles with the reality that he will be holding on of those “things” in nine months’ time. Allison, never planning to be pregnant in the first place, tries to make the most of her new promotion at work and hide her pregnancy away. This proves difficult, and as she strives to be responsible and do all the right things, she struggles with Ben’s lack of responsibility and commitment to the situation at hand. 

This is the theme of the film; growing up. Men are always the last to do it, if they ever actually do it. Ladies, comments? 😉 And despite his lifestyle, his friends and his dim-witted nature, Ben manages to find a way to be the dad he is forced to become, and ditch some old habits along the way. It’s entertaining from an audience point of view, watching his progression throughout the movie, and somewhat reassuring that if this guy could be responsible enough to raise a child, then any of us could, right? When I saw this film, the thought of having children of my own was in the back of mind, but certainly not soon. But when you meet the right person, it’s amazing how quickly your view on things can shift, and I’m happy to say I found a great woman, and we now have two beautiful children together.

When we were expecting our first child Lucy, we naturally watched a few movies about pregnancy and babies, including “Juno”. It was when we were ready to announce to the world we were going to have a baby that I thought of a fun way to do that.

What can I say? I love movies. Nicole likes this movie. And this picture, courtesy of my friend with the graphic design skills, made us something that a lot of people said was one of the best ways to announce we were expecting. Thanks for the inspiration, “Knocked Up”  

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