Comparisons will inevitably be made between Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. This is fair, given the shared direction and writing by Judd Apatow and the appearance of Seth Rogan, brought to worldwide attention with his bawdy turn in Virgin.
Rogan is given room to shine in this film, taking his slacker jackass charisma to its highest level in this tale of "boy meets girl; boy sleeps with girl; boy joins girl in unwanted preganancy."
While Virgin was hilarious and easily one of the most important reinventions of the film comedy in many years, it was a simplistic and played on hyperbole. Knocked Up is funnier and intensely more enjoyable because of the reality of the film, playing more on the innate comedy of the characters instead of the sillyness and stereotypes of Virgin. And there is a certain very real humanity at the heart of the tale, taking both darker and lighter turns than were accomplished in the previous film, but making them all the more enjoyable. Real human character turns provide the movie was a pathos generally lacking in comedy. The romantic comedy genre works hard to try to capture the level of emotion, humor, and human understanding that this movie possesses and usually fails brilliantly.
The fact that Apatow has managed to wring so much heart and wit from the film must come as a surprise to many, who feel that vulgarity, comedy, and true human understanding are not compatible themes in a film. Films can usually aspire to the happy ending, but rarely does that ending feel real or more than just a movie gimmick. Despite the unlikliness, a certain reality exists at this movie's core and allows us all a happy ending that is more than just wish fullfilment or fantasy.
The writing is, of course, tight, the direction is understated perfection, allowing the story center stage, and the acting is hilarious but real. Rarely is there a movie that combines all the aspect of a good comedy so well and so satisfyingly.
