Judd Apatow's "Knocked Up" ought to be the most-discussed (and argument-generating) movie of the year so far -- which means it's uncommonly smart and subversive and disturbing (and funny), especially for a summer sex comedy. I happen to think Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, as Pete and Debbie, the bitter and resentful married couple with kids (Mann is Apatow's wife, and the kids in the movie are theirs) are the funniest characters/actors in the picture (and Kristen Wiig: amazing), mainly because their material, and their performances, are so painfully true that it's not funny. Which is what makes it so funny. It helps that all three are top-flight actors with a gift for uncanny understatement. Sometimes you don't even know if the scene is funny or not (like Debbie's suburban ambush of Pete) -- and those are inevitably the most revealing and rewarding kinds of laughs, when you surprise yourself by laughing at how awful and truthful the characters are behaving.
Anyway, I've found that some women don't like the movie, for sex-specific reasons I hope to discuss at length in the near future. Let me offer a few examples now from reviews that I think "get" "Knocked Up" -- and not from my usual suspects, either.
One night, Ben [Seth Rogen] goes to a bar, picks up a girl, and goes to bed with her. Both are drunk at the time, and both, in consequence, throw up: Ben the next morning (“I just yakked,” he says winningly over breakfast), and the girl—who is no girl but a young woman named Alison (Katherine Heigl), with a growing career on television—some weeks later, into a trash can at work. Here comes the bit that will divide Apatow’s audience and (he hopes) get them arguing over the movie: Alison decides to inform the father and, little by little, to enfold him and his oafish, froggy grin in the gentle business of parenting. Call it the taming of the Shrek. Most women, I imagine, will scoff with incredulity: this is neither a last hurrah (Alison is still in her twenties) nor the ideal time (she has a good job), and Ben is the last slob on earth she would have chosen. Most men, meanwhile, will be too busy watching through their fingers. To them, this is “The Omen.”What's interesting about this paragraph is that it's slightly wrong. We go to the bar with the women, not the men. The gals are swept inside (even though Mann's character is really too old to be there), while we catch a glimpse of Ben and his geek buddies near the front of the line. They've probably been standing out there for hours. (This doorman scene will pay off later -- though I think it's the weakest in the movie.)
My first reaction to the Ben-Alison match was that she would never want to see him again after their one-night stand. But, like so many women, Alison is someone who falls in love with a guy for who she wants him to be, not for who he really is. (She doesn't even know who he is -- and vice-versa.) At the point where she (improbably) lets him back into her life, it's because she now views him as "the father of her child" (which, in her view though not our society's, gives him some marginal rights) and as Pete and Debbie indicate cynically at the breakfast table in front of the kids, men and women who are in love get married and have babies. Or men and women who have babies get married and fall in love. Or something like that. Alison wants to be in love with the father of her child (their child, she insists), so she is determined to make herself believe that's the case, even when it isn't, because that's the way it should be. And maybe she can even make him believe it.
And that is the part Maureen Dowd doesn't quite get. She writes:
Mr. Apatow’s women are smart and confident, but you always know you are on a journey with the men. Ultimately, the men seem happiest without any female contribution — when they’re engrossed in the gross-out world of guydom. It’s like a male version of parthenogenesis.But Dowd is ignoring the essence of the movie -- and the social context described by the title of her own recent book: "Are Men Necessary?" Because it's the women who can choose to have their babies (I'm sorry: our babies) without men, not the other way around. When it comes to pregnancy, men of my generation (and Ben's) are taught -- by society and by law -- that we had better get used to being unnecessary. ("A Woman Without A Man Is Like A Fish Without A Bicycle.") It's all about respecting the woman's right to do whatever she wants with her own body. It's her body, and there's no question about that. And I'm not saying that's wrong or undesirable. Just that there are... complications. What the movie suggests (and this is where it really starts to get subversive) is that this attitude actually lets men off the moral hook when it comes to questions of abortion and child-rearing. Hey, it's her decision, after all! Yes, both Ben and Pete learn to "grow up" a little by accepting their responsibilities as fathers, but they also know there are lines they can't cross. And, what's more, they're relieved they don't have to because they aren't expected to. Except when (as in "Breaking Up") the woman says she wants him to want to do something he doesn't want to do because, well... because she wants him to want to.
Finally, there's this from Stephanie Zacharek at Salon.com:
But for reasons that aren't, and don't need to be, spelled out, Alison decides to go ahead with the pregnancy. Ben, reluctantly, agrees to do his part -- except he has absolutely no idea what his part should be.With that, Zacharek nails "Knocked Up" on the head.It's clear that Apatow doesn't intend "Knocked Up" as a right-to-life tract, and I hope it won't be celebrated -- or decried -- as such. The movie is simply delicate-handed enough to know that neither it nor the Supreme Court can dictate what a woman's choice should be. And it's intuitive enough to know that such a complicated choice can't be easily explained -- at least in terms that will satisfy anyone's politics. [...]
And so Apatow uses an unplanned pregnancy -- a jarring event that's also, perhaps paradoxically, one of the most natural things in the world -- as a device to explore parenthood and the nature of long-term partnership. "Knocked Up" isn't at all precious about either: At first, Alison isn't even so sure she likes Ben. And when she invites him to dinner to break the news (they haven't seen each other since the awful morning after that fateful night), he reacts just like the immature stoner bonehead she believes he is. "I assumed you were wearing a patch -- or a dental dam," he sputters, cruelly suggesting that after all, it's the woman's responsibility to take care of such things. He doesn't even have to know the right words for them.
But Ben is at heart a sweet guy, and he and Alison tentatively move toward common ground, making the kind of connection that could turn into love. They also fight, in ways that bring out the worst in each of them: Alison is impatient, demanding and judgmental; Ben is a little boy who's reluctant to grow up. The male-female arguments in "Knocked Up" are sometimes so vicious, so indicative of suppressed toxicity, that they're painful to watch. At one point Debbie advises Alison on how to gain the upper hand with a partner: "You criticize them a lot until they get so down on themselves they're forced to change." Her pert, cheerful certainty on this matter is what makes the line so funny, and also so horrifying. Pete has his own way of dealing with marital pressures. He's keeping a relatively benign secret from Debbie, and when she discovers it, she lashes out at him -- and the ensuing confrontation makes you feel horrible for both of them. Apatow has no compunction about going for uncomfortable laughs, as well as breezy ones.
This is a romantic comedy that's unafraid to face human suffering dead on. And yet, in the end, it's all the more joyous for that. "Knocked Up" is a beautifully shaped piece of work: There are no slack patches, no gratuitous feel-good moments -- if you walk out of "Knocked Up" feeling good, that means you've earned it.
I just got back from seeing it and how right you are. "The 40 Year Old Virgin" was a really good comedy but this is a really good movie. I was particularly amazed that the climactic maternity room scenes could be so fresh.
One little addition to Stephanie Zacharek on Debbie's advice to Alison about constant criticism leading to eventual change. She prefaced it with "Oprah says".
Dane, you are correct, sir. I like Lane's comparison to "The Omen," but men know there's another "O" word that's even scarier: Oprah. She creeps out many men, not because she is a powerful black woman but because so many other women turn into Branch Davidians when they watch or talk about her. (Or is it because, as Kathy Griffin likes to say, "She thinks she's Jesus"?) Then again, maybe it's because all men have a little bit of James Frey in them, and we keep imagining we see little flecks of him still lodged between her incisors.
I loved the movie, and have some thoughts:
Leslie Mann: Great. Hot. But I still don't get Paul Rudd. No chemistry between him and Mann at all. He's a lightweight actor who makes very little impression on screen, in my opinion, and I just don't buy him in this role at all. He seems like the last guy to care about sports. He looks out of place in suburbia (which might be the point, of course.) The whole fantasy baseball angle and Vegas trips were pretty weak.
One other thing keeps nagging at me: Heigl's character is on E!, so where are all her Hollywood friends? She'd be hanging with a much more hip crowd, wouldn't she? It seems she's got all the time in the world to hang out with a bunch of stoners.
Another thing: Apatow's inspired pairing of Rogen and Harold Ramis as father and son. As much as Mann speaks truths, so does Ramis as the absentee father, who loves his son fiercely but basically says, "You're on your own, pal. Good luck. I can't really help ya, and I wish I had been a better dad, but I did the best I could and you'll find out soon. But I love you." A lot of depth and revelation in those small scenes involving them.
Another point: FINALLY, a doctor with a shitty bedside manner. You run into them ALL the time in real life, not so often on the big screen.
This is the beauty of Knocked Up: it's so many movies in one and Apatow just juggles all these parts so deftly. I gotta see it again.
re. theshamus.
I think Paul Rudd was hysterical. I love his odd phrasing and facial gestures. In point of fact he *is* in a fantasy baseball league.
As for the Vegas trip, the scene in the hotel room was my favourite scene in the entire film. Or at least the funniest.
Great article. It's frequently an unnerving task analyzing comedy, but this movie has profound layers under the hilarity. It's nice to see them so eloquently discussed.
Also, every woman I know who's seen Knocked Up so far has really loved it. Granted, they've all been long-standing Judd Apatow/Seth Rogen fans.
One thing I don't understand, the statement that the doorman scene was "the weakest in the movie." I thought this scene encapsulated so much of what was perfect about the film- it was totally unexpected, painfully sincere, incredibly dirty, contained just the right amount of larger social commentary, and had me in tears it was so funny.
I really like this one...surprisingly more the 40-year Old Virgin (I say that because I love Steve Carell).
I find it odd though that nearly every review has to mention how ridiculous and unbelievable it is that Alison ends up with Ben (or *allows* herself to be with Ben), while on the other hand there are so many movies where the frumpy shy girl ends up with Prince Charming that it would be impossible to count them all.
For the most part beautiful people only date beautiful people in movies...most of the time people are asking behind a couple's back "how did *he* end up with *her*?" and vice-versa.
Concerning Nate Birch's post above: what is the title of one such (non-animated) film? I'm not criticizing the statement; that was an honest question. No such film springs to mind (actresses in general tend not to be "frumpy").
anonymous: The first one that comes to mind is "She's All That," and pretty much any movie that features a girl getting asked out on a date by a stud because he's taken a dare or a bet. (Drew Barrymore and Sandra Bullock have done their share of these.)
Now, I'm pretty sure Nate's statement should be slightly adjusted, from "frumpy shy girl" to "ugly duckling who turns into beautiful swan."
Which is sort of how Ben's character evolves. He doesn't ever become an Adonis, but he grows into a decent, self-aware person who wants to do the right thing. This, I think, is a more compelling and less shallow take on the ugly-duckling story. It also highlights what I think is the peculiar strength of 40YO Virgin and Knocked Up: Apatow takes the genre conventions of the romantic comedy and simply reverses the genders. For some reason, this inversion (not to say that's ALL he's doing, by a long shot) can yield a lot of mileage.
I'm sorry, but in reality Alison would have had an abortion. Also, could Apatow do something visually to make his credit as a director worthwhile.
re: Second anonymous.
Apatow may not have the visual idiosyncracies of a David Fincher, but he creates his stories from the ground up, first creating the rich characters and scenarios, then wrangling the right actors to bring out deep levels of humanity that resonate with a huge audience, through humor of both the gentle and painful kind. And he does so with an artist's touch. If that's not a director, I don't know what you'd call it.
As for what Alison "really" would have done... I suspect claims like that say more about the person making the claim than about the actual source material. People make surprising decisions all the time, and those decision are far removed from outside expectations on what someone "should" do, as I believe Jim already discussed.
in truth i'm only writing this because of the username-related humor, but in response to the post above: not everyone has the same values, different ppl treasure different things. madonna sung a song about it, it's not unheard of.
and it's true that we have a visual medium here, but i hope apatow doesn't follow your advice (not that it's bad); his characters might not seem so warm with much visual flair [and besides, maybe the blandness of his lighting schemes is one of his markers].
To anonymous, if that's your real name, I don't want to comment on the abortion thing much except to say I was glad a movie of this style pretty much stayed away from that debate. As far as Apatow's visuals, I agree that they're nothing to write home about, but the idea that that's a director's entire or even most important function doesn't square with my knowledge of movies. Apatow is, it seems, a writer first and an actor's director second and anyone that handles those two things as well as he has since Freaks and Geeks gets a pass from me on all the rest. I think he thrives on a laid back atmosphere on set that works perfectly well with his material and might be compromised by a lot of attention to where the cameras are. I don't know, I'm not a technical guy. I love Hitchcock and Scorsese and many others that are masters with the camera, but I also think there are a lot of movies where it just doesn't matter that much and this is one.
To Ken Lowery: I guess this site isn't instantaneous. Thanks for rendering my comment redundant with a much more articulate statement, not to mention that I hadn't noticed the multiple anonymous thing.
Loved it but too long by half. "40 Year-Old Virgin" was compact, never extending a joke or scene beyond it's relevency or over extending a gag. The timing on the waxing scene was brilliant in that it took us away from such a rich comedic environment to the punch line (the bloody shirt) where some (Will Farrell) would beat it to death with small setup lines, diluting the payoff.
In 'Knocked Up' too many gags run too long. The Pete and Debbie relationship is too uncomfortable for you to like either one. The doctor in the birthing scene isn't 'funny because it's true.' It's too true and too distracting for the third act. Apatow was given a lot of leash here and it shows.
Not that I didn't like it. Apatow never goes for the cheap or the cliche. Ben's friends and father don't do what is expected and keep their complexity. Allison is deeper than the typical female lead in a romantic comedy and is allowed some insanity of her own.
I can only hope for a director's cut that's actually shorter than the theatrical release.
O, theshamus: Rudd is a favorite of mine. At first glance, he's blandly handsome (in a perfectly suburban way). But then, when he speaks, you see how oddly funny and smart he is. You're right there's no chemistry between Pete and Debbie (though I'd argue the comic chemistry between Mann and Rudd is spot-on), but that is indeed the point. Rudd's bitterness and disenchantment really crack me up -- especially the scene about the bubbles (though I thought the "Everybody Loves Raymond" joke was kinda hacky -- until I considered that the point may have been that "Everybody Loves Raymond" isn't funny), or the way he and Rogen, who initially have nothing in common, develop their mutual man-crush at the restaurant dinner with their Significant Others. Each sees in the other some thing or quality he wishes he possessed himself...
I found this film to be completely engaging and complex. What is there to complain about when most romantic comedies fail to be comedies these days or to have a single moment of actual romance that doesn't feel forced. Even Cameron Crowe has forgotten how to do it. A lot of the goings on in "40-Year-Old Virgin" (since we seem to be comparing this to that) were based very much on stereotypes, while that created some humor, it left the story itself a little limp, and I say that liking "Virgin", but in this film the character's are brought to life so eloquently and honestly that it's almost hard for me to find a conceptual flaw. Or a joke that didn't seem mistimed or out of placed. I'm rolling through the movie in my head and can't think of one that over stayed it's welcome.
Jim I agree with you in your comment that Pete and Debbie weren't supposed to click. The fact that they were two different people that started in the same way Alison and Ben are only adds fear and further tension to their relationship. One of the funniest moments of the film is when Ben rushes into the kitchen room screams at Pete for being such a bad father and leaves Pete having to start the Happy Birthday song.
This is the first movie this year I've wanted to see a second time because I enjoyed it that much. But inevitably people find something to complain about I guess, even in what will probably be the best comedy this year...unless you're really looking forward to Evan Almighty...have fun with that!
Like Phillip, I didn't think this movie was even close to too long, but having heard the comment in numerous reviews, as well as here, it just makes me wonder: Do other people besides me tend to check the running time before they go to the theater? I can see how you might start to get distracted if you go in thinking: Comedy, therefore 90 minutes, then dinner. Just wondering.
"though I thought the "Everybody Loves Raymond" joke was kinda hacky"
Hey Jim, I just thought I'd mention that from what I've seen, people from Long Island really love Everybody Loves Raymond (as well as Billy Joel). It's a large part of their culture. There was also a Everybody Loves Raymond joke in 40-YOV, when David gives Andy his box 'o porn. Judd Apatow is from Long Island. Hence the all the references (and the use of Billy Joel in the Freaks and Geeks ep Judd Apatow directed.
Jim, there's a key point in Anthony Lane's article that I think deserves some wider discussion, since it also helps explain why the doorman scene was so necessary:
I was fascinated by how well Apatow juggled the panic of aging against the very different expectations that society has for aging men and women. What makes the doorman scene work so well isn't what happens IN the scene, but what happens outside of it: while the women are getting denied entrance into a club because of their looks, their men are in Vegas getting lap dances. In my mind, the cutting between those two scenes is what elevated Mann's tirade beyond that of a narcissistic woman and into a justifiably angry rant against an unfair society. The doorman's response helps deflate it back again.
That it didn't feel like an artificial or out-of-place juxtaposition is more credit to Apatow.
I agree with Brad about that scene. Apatow has shown himself to be not just a clever writer, but a clever director as well. He skillfully uses editing here to bridge two scenes that don't stand out much by themselves, but when taken as a whole amount to something much bigger.
I just saw Knocked Up and thought it was great. . .I just wanted to say how astonished I am at the reviewers who described this as a male-centric movie. This movie is TOTALLY sympathetic to the women, and more that 50% from their perspective. The low-keyness of the things allows us to see and laugh at the fratboy hijinx without succumbing to them. We end up spending our time in Allison's shoes, wishing Ben would just grow up.
And the muted, open-ended final scene doesn't suggest that Ben is the hero, but that the real struggle- the daily grind of adult life- is about to begin. Is Ben going to have the stamina for real life?
It seems like the "summer comedy" is coming of age, and it seems that feminine perspectives have a lot to do with it.