Review of Knocked Up (2007) by Marca. — 19 Jun 2007

"Oh, snap! The clever stoner's having a baby!" That's the audience reaction aimed for in Knocked Up. There are some brilliant moments (including every second of Kristen Wiig), but the plot is sloppy, unbelievable and completely ignorant of real-world class distinctions.

A house full of unemployed stoners -- who somehow have a comfortable, worry-free lifestyle -- intersect the clean, judgmental world of an even richer and more comfortable family, and then they all start spouting glib self-help cliches and quoting their favorite movies.

Apatow's dialogue is best in its few moments of dry wit, but too often his characters sound like standups at a party, jabbering on with cynical references to pop culture. If you like that stuff, you'll also enjoy the heavy burden of blatant product placement -- more than in a Superbowl broadcast.

Seth Rogen is really funny, but it would be more impressive had his talent been used in service of a greater purpose, rather than just going, "Hey, look how quippy Seth Rogen is!" for two hours.

Knocked Up could have worked if it had either gone for broad and crazy, or aimed for an organic, realistic story. It fails largely because it tries clumsily to split the difference.