Thursday

Is Knocked Up funny? Yes. Is it the funniest film you'll ever see? No, but then you weren't expecting that. At its core, I think, are two good performances of sensitively written characters. You engage with them, and believe in them, almost instantly. Katherine Heigl is not exactly hard to look at, and Seth Rogen has that earnest, honest face that you can sympathise with. I was laughing out loud at several points, but this is not an all-out comedy. The pacing was occasionally off; I didn't see how they suddenly liked each other so much when they'd seemed opposites; the basic misunderstanding as to how she got pregnant wasn't strong enough, and the reconciliation at the end wasn't quite as satisfying as I wanted (perhaps because I had to keep getting up and down for people who needed the toilet, literally two minutes from the finish). They skirt the more serious issue of abortion, but give generally a sweet picture of parenting, and the pains of pregnancy. You may cynically think that the relationship has no chance of long-term success, but the film carries you along without letting such negativism in. I don't know the actress who played her, but Heigl's jealous co-worker was brilliant. I guess overall this is good enough. I don't see how and where it could've been better, but that doesn't mean it's perfect.