Knocked Up

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Knocked Up
Image:Knockedupmp.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Judd Apatow
Produced by Judd Apatow
Shauna Robertson
Clayton Townsend
Seth Rogen
Evan Goldberg
Written by Judd Apatow
Starring Seth Rogen
Katherine Heigl
Leslie Mann
Paul Rudd
Music by Loudon Wainwright III
Joe Henry
Distributed by Universal Studios
Release date(s) June 1, 2007
Running time Theatrical cut
129 min.
Unrated/Unprotected
133 min.
Country United States
Language English
Budget $30 million[1]
Gross revenue $218.9 million
Official website
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Knocked Up is a 2007 comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Judd Apatow. It stars Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. It is rated R for some sexual content, drug use, and language.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Ben Stone is a lazy, immature 23-year-old Jewish Canadian slacker from British Columbia in the process of establishing with his friends a website listing nude scenes in film called www.fleshofthestars.com. Stone lives illegally in Los Angeles, California, paying no state or federal taxes and lives on a $14,000 settlement after a mail truck ran over his foot as a teenager.

Alison Scott is a responsible, career-minded woman who is promoted anchorwoman for E! Entertainment Television. While celebrating her promotion, Alison meets Ben at a club. The pair get drunk and end up having sex. Due to a misunderstanding, they do not use contraception: Alison uses the phrase "just do it" to encourage Ben to put the condom on faster, which he misinterprets as "a condom is not needed".

When the alcohol wears off, they quickly learn they have little in common. Eight weeks later, however, Alison experiences morning sickness during an interview with James Franco and comes to the discovery that she is pregnant. After trying 15 different pregnancy tests with the same result, she contacts Ben to tell him the news. Although taken aback, Ben says he will be there to support Alison having the baby. The odd couple's efforts to develop a relationship include Ben making an awkward marriage proposal, without a ring.

After some considerable success at first, tensions surface in the relationship. Alison is increasingly anxious over Ben's lack of responsibility and is paranoid he will leave her, as a result of watching her sister Debbie's failing marriage. Her husband Pete works as a talent scout, but he strangely leaves at odd hours in the night. Upon investigating, she learns that he is part of a fantasy baseball draft, which he explains he needs to have some time free from Debbie's controlling manner. Similarly, Ben feels that Alison is overly controlling.

After a bitter argument, Ben and Allison break up, and Ben and Pete take a road-trip to Las Vegas. Under the influence of drugs, they realize their loss and decide to return and take responsibility.

Ben goes to great effort to change his ways, including getting a real job and an apartment with a baby's room. Subsequently, Alison goes into labor and is not able to contact her doctor, forcing her to contact Ben again due to her sister Debbie and Pete's out-of-town trip. Ben also tries to contact Alison's gynecologist, but finds out through his secretary that he is at a Bar Mitzvah in San Francisco. After leaving a hate-filled message on the doctor's voicemail, Ben increases his efforts to find a doctor that will deliver his child. He eventually finds one, but Alison's wishes clash with the doctor's choice for a smooth and safe birth. Ben talks with the doctor, after which a suitable solution is proposed. During the birth, Alison apologizes for doubting Ben's commitment and admits that she never thought the man she loved would be the one who got her pregnant. A while later, Debbie and Pete arrive, but Ben makes Debbie wait in the reception room, as he wishes to take care of Alison. The couple welcomes the birth of a baby girl (a boy in the alternate ending), and settle down happily together.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Production

[edit] Casting

A good portion of the cast members are returning actors from previous Judd Apatow projects. Seth Rogen, Martin Starr, Jason Segel and James Franco all starred in the short-lived, cult television series Freaks and Geeks which Apatow produced. Rogen and Segel would also later star in the Apatow-created Undeclared with Jay Baruchel and Loudon Wainwright III. Paul Feig, who co-created Freaks and Geeks and starred in the Apatow written movie Heavy Weights, also makes a brief cameo as the Fantasy Baseball Guy. Steve Carell, who makes a cameo appearance as himself, co-starred alongside Rogen and Rudd in Apatow's The 40-Year-Old Virgin, as well as appearing in the Apatow-produced Anchorman. Finally, Leslie Mann, who also appeared in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, is married to Apatow.

Anne Hathaway was originally cast as "Alison Scott" in the film, but dropped out due to creative reasons.[2] Apatow wrote that "Hathaway dropped out of the film because she didn't want to allow us to use real footage of a woman giving birth to create the illusion that she is giving birth."[3] Jennifer Love Hewitt and Kate Bosworth auditioned for the part after Hathaway dropped out but ended up losing to Katherine Heigl.[4]

This movie was originally going to be a follow up to The 40-Year-Old Virgin, having Seth Rogen and his team to reprise their roles as the Smart Tech team.

[edit] Product placement

In the film, one of the main characters is employed by a web design agency called Jetset Studios. The name and logo shown belong to a real-life online interactive agency for Apatow Productions. Other product endorsements occurred throughout the film from companies such as Sprint Nextel, Apple, Red Bull, Corona beer, Sierra Nevada beer, Pepsi, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Google, Volkswagen, Spider Man 3, MrSkin , Puma and Seventh Generation, and OBEY clothing.

[edit] Alleged copyright infringement

Canadian author Rebecca Eckler has written in Maclean's Magazine about the similarities between the movie and her book, Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-to-Be, which was released in the U.S. in March 2005. She is pursuing legal action against Apatow and Universal Studios on the basis of copyright infringement.[5][6] In a public statement, Apatow said, "Anyone who reads the book and sees the movie will instantly know that they are two very different stories about a common experience."[7] Another Canadian author, Patricia Pearson, has also publicly claimed similarities between the film and her novel, Playing House. She has declined to sue.[8]

[edit] Reception

Overall Knocked Up was well received by many early critics despite widespread accusations of sexism.

[edit] Critical reviews

The Los Angeles Times praised Knocked Up's unexpected, punctuated humorous moments despite its plot inconsistencies, noting that, "probably because the central story doesn't quite jell, it's the loony, incidental throwaway moments that really make an impression."[9] Similarly The Baltimore Sun acknowledged the comic value of the film in spite of its shortcomings:

Yes, the story line meanders and too many scenes drone on; Knocked Up is in serious need of a good editor. But the laughs are plentiful, and it's the rare movie these days where one doesn't feel guilty about finding the whole thing funny.[10]

Nevertheless, following its release the film had a 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 203 reviews (187 fresh, 20 rotten),[11] and early on the film was deemed the best reviewed wide release of 2007 by the Tomatoes' website (although the review did warn that early reviews such as itself could be "over-enthusiastic.")[12] In another such review, Variety magazine, while calling the film predictable, said that Knocked Up was "more explosively funny, more frequently, than nearly any major studio release in recent memory."[13] On the television show Ebert & Roeper, Richard Roeper and guest critic David Edelstein gave Knocked Up a "two big thumbs up" rating, with Roeper calling it "likeable and real," noting that although "at times things drag a little bit.... still Knocked Up earns its sentimental moments."[14]

A more critical review in Time magazine noted that, although a typical Hollywood-style comedic farce, the unexpected short-term success of the film may be more attributable to a sociological phenomenon rather than the quality or uniqueness of the film per se, positing that the movie's shock value, sexual humor and historically taboo themes may have created a brief nationwide discussion in which movie-goers would see the film "so they can join the debate, if only to say it wasn't that good."[15]

The film was #10 on Peter Traver's (of Rolling Stone) list of the Best Movies of 2007, tying with the film Juno, [16] another contemporary film similarly involving an unexpected pregnancy between unwed youths and which the New York Times called "a feminist, girl-powered rejoinder and complement to Knocked Up."[17] Associated Press film critic Christy Lemire named Knocked Up the #4 best film of 2007, and while in the same article David Germain did not rank Knocked Up in his own top ten, Germain did list Juno as #3,[18] possibly indicating the contemporary sociological importance of the issues entertained by both films. Regardless of the validity of the copyright infringement accusations against the film, the prominence of nearly identical topics in the general media could similarly suggest the significance of such cultural issues.

[edit] Accusations of sexism

In early reviews, both Slate's Dana Stevens and the Los Angeles Times' Carina Chocano wrote articles noting the sexist attitudes propagated by the film, a topic which was the primary focus of a Slate magazine podcast in which New York editor Emily Nussbaum said:[19]

Alison [Katherine Heigl's character] made basically zero sense. She was just a completely inconsistent character. For the first two-thirds of the movie, she was this pleasant, blandly hot, peculiarly tolerant, yet oddly blank nice girl. She seemed to have no actual needs or desires of her own, and she sort of glided into this pregnancy.... She was nice, but she was also dull and strangely spineless and free of actual character traits especially considering that she was supposedly this ambitious young Hollywood babe. Then, two-thirds of the way through, she transformed into a humorless shrieking irrational person like her sister....

In a later and highly-publicized Vanity Fair interview, lead actor Katherine Heigl admitted that though she enjoyed working with Apatow and Rogen, she had a hard time enjoying the film itself, calling the movie "a little sexist" and claiming that the film "paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys."[20][21] Following Heigl's controversial comments, an online survey consisting of 927 responders was performed by lifestyle publication Buzzsugar (a media product of Sugar Publishing) in which the majority (59%) of movie-goers agreed that the film was sexist or could be viewed as sexist (while 38% were not personally offended) and 37% of viewers saw the film as devoid of sexist aspects.[22]

Heigl's comments spurred widespread reaction in the media, notably consisting of ad hominem attacks in which she was called "an ungrateful traitor," "hypocrite," and "assertive, impatient go-getter who quickly tired of waiting for her boyfriend to propose," in some cases debasing her religious beliefs and criticizing her private life and personal relationships.[23][24] Media pressure forced Heigl to clarify her initial comments in People magazine, stating that, "My motive was to encourage other women like myself to not take that element of the movie too seriously and to remember that it's a broad comedy," adding that, "Although I stand behind my opinion, I'm disheartened that it has become the focus of my experience with the movie."[25]

Meghan O'Rourke of Slate magazine called Heigl's comments unsurprising, noting "Knocked Up was, as David Denby put it in The New Yorker, the culminating artifact in what had become 'the dominant romantic-comedy trend of the past several years—the slovenly hipster and the female straight arrow.'"[26] In his review for The Guardian, humorist Joe Queenan called the film "the latest in a new genre of romantic comedies in which an unappealing hero gets together with a gorgeous, successful woman." [27]

In the wake of accusations of sexism, director Judd Apatow claimed to strive to avoid marginalizing women in his work and to develop authentic female characters.[28] New York Magazine quotes Apatow as admitting, "I think the characters are sexist at times, but it's really about immature people who are afraid of women and relationships and learn to grow up," saying that Heigl's comments were "taken out of context," dismissing their significance as true and meaningful accusations of sexism and ultimately conceding that the controversy aids in sales of his films, noting, "It reminds people that they need to buy Knocked Up on DVD and judge for themselves,"[29] possibly suggesting that Apatow does not intend altering his depictions of women in future efforts.

[edit] Box office performance

The film opened at #2 at the U.S. box office, earning $30,690,990 in its opening weekend.[30] As of December 30, the film has grossed $148.8 million domestically and $70.1 million in foreign territories,[1] totaling 218.9 million.

The unexpected financial success of the film (commonly referred to as a "sleeper hit") has been in part attributed to advertising strategies, which caused an estimated doubling in domestic audience attendance.[31] Time magazine suggested that the film's box office performance could be in further part attributed to a sociological phenomenon wherein many movie-goers saw the film simply "so they can join the debate, if only to say it wasn't that good."[32]

[edit] Awards

On December 16 2007, the film was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best movies of the year, It was one of the two pregnancy comedies on the list (Juno being the other).

The 2007 Teen Choice Awards awarded the film "Choice: Comedy". They also gave Ryan Seacrest "Best Hissy Fit", for his brief cameo, where he becomes self-obsessed and complains about rising young talents.

[edit] Music

Strange Weirdos: Music From And Inspired By The Film Knocked Up, an original soundtrack album, was composed for the film by folk singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III and Joe Henry.

In addition to Wainwright's tracks, there were approximately 40 songs featured in the motion picture that were not included on the official soundtrack on Concord Records.[33]

[edit] DVD Details

Several separate Region 1 DVD versions were released on September 25, 2007. There was the theatrical R-Rated version, an "Unrated and Unprotected" version (fullscreen and widescreen available independently), a two-disc "Extended & Unrated" collector's edition, and an HD-DVD "Unrated and Unprotected" version. On December 26, 2007 the "Extended & Unrated" version was released in Region 2.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Knocked Up: Summary. Box Office Mojo (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  2. ^ 'Grey's' Star Heigl Gets 'Knocked Up'. Zap2it.com. April 18, 2006. Retrieved on April 11, 2007.
  3. ^ Judd Apatow's Family Values. The New York Times. May 27, 2007. Retrieved June 3, 2007.
  4. ^ http://www.shakefire.com/articles/knockedup.html
  5. ^ Eckler, Rebecca: "Is That my Baby on the Screen", page 69-71. Maclean's Magazine, Volume 120 Number 22, June 11, 2007
  6. ^ Complaint for Copyright Infringement: Demand for Jury Trial - legal filing with United States District Court, Central Distric of California, January 3, 2007
  7. ^ Author says 'Knocked Up' ripped off, Associated Press, CNN.com, Published June 7, 2007, Retrieved on June 9, 2007
  8. ^ Pearson, Patricia. Knocked over by Knocked Up lawsuit. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  9. ^ Chocano, Carina. Los Angeles Times - Movie Review 'Knocked Up' is funny, but it's lacking at the core June 1, 2007. Retrieved on October 26, 2007.
  10. ^ Kaltenbach, Chris. Baltimore Sun - Movie Review June 1, 2007. Retrieved on October 26, 2007. [An ironic comment in light of concurrent accusations of sexism]
  11. ^ Rotten Tomatoes - Knocked Up. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on June 12, 2007
  12. ^ "Knocked Up" is 2007's Best-Reviewed Wide Release Rotten Tomatoes.
  13. ^ Leydon, Joe. Knocked Up review Variety. March 13, 2007. Retrieved on April 11, 2007.
  14. ^ Knocked Up review on Ebert & Roeper May 27, 2007. Retrieved on August 7, 2007.
  15. ^ Corliss, Richard. Time Magazine - Movie Review June 7, 2007. Retrieved on October 26, 2007.
  16. ^ Travers, Peter, (December 19, 2007) "Peter Travers' Best and Worst Movies of 2007" Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-12-20
  17. ^ Scott, A. O. (December 5, 2007) "Seeking Mr. and Mrs. Right for a Baby on the Way". Rolling Stone Retrieved 2008-01-01
  18. ^ David Germain; Christy Lemire (2007-12-27). 'No Country for Old Men' earns nod from AP critics. Associated Press, via Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
  19. ^ New York Magazine http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/06/knocked_up_the_nussbaumsternbe.html ‘Knocked Up’ Brings the Gender Wars Back!
  20. ^ Vanity Fair (December 3, 2007). "Katherine Heigl Talks About Marriage, Ratings Ploys, and Why She Thinks Knocked Up Is Sexist". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
  21. ^ Associated Press. Heigl having 'a really hard time' with 'Grey's' affair 2004. Retrieved on December 14, 2007,
  22. ^ Do You Think Knocked Up Is Sexist?. Buzzsugar. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  23. ^ Katherine Heigl On How "Knocked Up" Is Sexist, Ratings Ploys And Mormonism?. The Huffington Post. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  24. ^ CALM DOWN! Katherine Heigl Did Not “Slam” Knocked Up. The Movie Blog. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  25. ^ Katherine Heigl Clarifies Knocked Up Remarks. People Magazine (December 7, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  26. ^ O'Rourke, Meghan. http://www.slate.com/id/2179621/ Katherine Heigl's Knocked Up
  27. ^ Joe Queenan (2007-09-04). Dumb and dumber. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
  28. ^ Wloszczyna, Susan. "For Apatow, opportunity knocks," USA Today, 2007-05-06. Retrieved on June 4, 2007.
  29. ^ Youn, Soo. New York Magazine http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/12/marketing_genius_judd_apatow_t.html Marketing Genius Judd Apatow Turns Katherine Heigl's ‘Knocked Up’ Slam Into a Sales Pitch
  30. ^ Knocked Up: Daily Box Office. Box Office Mojo (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-08.
  31. ^ Integrated Media Measurements Inc. Radio Advertising Helps Wake Up Sleeper "Knocked Up": Combination of Television and Radio Exposure Doubles Audience Attendance for Hit Film. http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=756730
  32. ^ Corliss, Richard. Time Magazine - Movie Review June 7, 2007. Retrieved on October 26, 2007.
  33. ^ 'SoundtrackINFO: Knocked Up soundtrack'. Soundtrackinfo.com. September, 2007. Retrieved on September 29, 2007.

[edit] External links

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Knocked Up
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Feature FilmsThe 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)  · Knocked Up (2007)
ScreenplaysHeavyweights (1995)  · Celtic Pride (1996)  · The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)  · Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)  · Knocked Up (2007)  · Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)  · Pineapple Express (2008)
ProductionsHeavyweights (1995)  · The Cable Guy (1996)  · Celtic Pride (1996)  · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)  · Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie (2004)  · The 40 Year Old Virgin(2005)  · Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)  · Knocked Up (2007)  · Superbad (2007)  · Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)  · Drillbit Taylor (2008)  · Pineapple Express (2008)  · Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)  · Step Brothers (2008)
Television CreditsThe Ben Stiller Show (1992 - 1993)  · The Critic (1994 - 1995)  · The Larry Sanders Show (1993 - 1998)  · Freaks and Geeks (1999 - 2000)  · Undeclared (2001 - 2002)
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