"Knocked Up" Gets a Cup of Coffee

One drunken night and an entire career is flushed down the drain. Doesn't that sound familiar? In this case that's the premise of the movie, "Knocked Up".

In celebration of a new career move, Alison Stone (Katherine Heigl from "Grey's Anatomy") celebrates by going to a club with her sister. As in real life, everyone looks better with a little alcohol. After spending the night with unemployed Ben Stone, played by Seth Rogan, she realizes her mistake and scrambles to "GET OUTTA' DODGE" in the morning. Later she finds that she is pregnant. Then her angst and our fun begins.

I had one huge problem with the movie and several small ones. She realized what type of a man that Ben was initially and chose not to see him again. When she found she was pregnant, she called this complete loser. I think I would have hit my head with a hammer before I would have done that. She actually attempts to develop a relationship with a man that she found disgusting just minutes before the pregnancy test.

There was nudity and a lot of sexual reference in the movie. The foul language of Ben and his buddies was believable since their entire existence revolved around watching movies and noting when, what type and how long nudity was in a film for the website they were creating.

I could not get into the plot because of the totally inescapable lack of reality of Alison. No woman in her right mind would go to such length to create a relationship just so the baby's father could be involved, and only after one night. Judd Apatow, of "40 Year Old Virgin", wrote this and it is obviously his belief that today's woman is that needy or just plain stupid.

It does have a lot of ribald humor and laugh-out-loud humor so it keeps my rating slightly higher. There are side stories involved that create continuously moving action. I wasn't crazy about the constant presence of drugs throughout the movie, but what the heck; no parent should allow a child to watch this any way. If we "adults" are allowing a movie to influence our actions, then this movie is the least of our troubles.

My sense of humor spans a broad spectrum with gas passing somewhere near the front. This won't disappoint you if you fall into that category. The sexual references and bodily functions are lead in the area of humor.

The character Ben Stone is off beat, but actually believable. I am not certain why. His actions in the end are unlikely, but the progression to reach them, make it possible.

If you rent it, remember, NO CHILDREN ALLOWED!

Rating system:

Two Snoozer- demand your money back

A Snooze and A Doze - rent it cheap, if at all

A Snooze - Slightly below average, only for a really boring weekend.

A light Doze -Average

A Cup of Coffee - Slightly above average.

Two Coffees -Entertaining

Two Coffees and A Red Bull- Worth seeing

Two Coffees and Two Red Bulls - The hall of fame. Pay to see it at a theater.