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If you plan to go see Knocked Up in theaters, you would do well to remember that while this movie contains many of the same cast and crew as director Judd Apatow's previous comedy, 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up has more in common with Apatow's short-lived television show Freaks and Geeks when it comes to social awkwardness. This is not to say that Knocked Up isn't as funny as Virgin. It also shouldn't automatically mean that it will be as commercially successful as Freaks and Geeks (only 18 episodes long). In fact, I'm sure that there will be plenty of people who enjoy Knocked Up as much, if not more than Apatow's previous ventures. Knocked Up stars Seth Rogen as Ben, a lovable oaf who is basking in the glory of post-adolescent apathy with his often hilarious (and only occasionally annoying) stoner friends. They spend much of their time on-screen doing what most men their age do: poolside ultimate fighting, smoking weed, mercilessly taunting each other, and half-heartedly trying to put up a website for celebrity nudity. One night, Ben has a drunken encounter with Alison (Katherine Heigl), an aspiring on-air personality for E! Entertainment. One thing leads to another, and he ends up back at her place. In the morning, both of these crazy kids have lost that drunken luster, and she walks away, perfectly willing to never see him again. The only problem, of course, is that in the heat of inebriation, Ben takes her request to 'do it already' not as it was meant (hurry up with the condom) but instead as, well, do it already. An honest mistake, no doubt, but 8 weeks later, just as Alison is experiencing her first bouts of morning sickness, it dawns upon her that she may be throwing up for reasons other than James Franco's aftershave. With any luck, the baby will look like this. Desperate and frightened, she calls Ben. What ensues is a series of misunderstandings, failed attempts at romantic gestures, bad advice, worse decisions, and resentment over personal shortcomings, pointed at all directions. Sounds like fun, right? To be honest, maybe one of the best things about this movie is the way that the audience is thrown right into the messy situation with no way to avoid it, and yet, will find it not only real, but tender and humorous. The movie can be painful to watch, but Apatow never beats up on the characters, mostly because at the heart of the movie, everyone is a good guy (or girl) with good intentions that get shot to hell. And boy do they ever get shot to hell. They look uncomfortable, much like how I looked when I Googled 'Knocked Up' and found a pregnant porn site. No, not pregnant with emotion. Kudos go to Paul Rudd as Pete, Alison's brother-in-law. He's married to Debbie (Apatow's wife Leslie Mann). You might remember her as the girl in 40 Year Old Virgin who drives a PT Cruiser (poorly) and just wants some fuckin' french toast. Rudd's character is simultaneously caring and self-serving, and his shortcomings serve as a forewarning to Ben, who begins to idolize Pete's sense of humor and realism despite being married to a complete control freak. When I first heard that Seth Rogen was going to be the lead in Knocked Up, I was slightly apprehensive. This was only because typically, leading men who are in an overwhelming majority of a two-hour long movie, well, don't look like me and my friends. Rogen's major roles have been totally supportive up until now, and were very, very good. His starring in this movie is much like his character. At first, he was prone to be content delivering a one-liner in the background. By the end, he was demonstrating the ability to take over a scene and call it his, completely. My favorite character from Freaks and Geeks. Look for him in Knocked Up. He's the one who looks like Grizzly Adams. RANKING: 8 OUT OF 10

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