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Studio Universal
MSRP $22.99
Rated
Unrated
Running
Time 133 minutes
Special
Features
- Audio
commentary with writer/director Judd Apatow, executive producer/star Seth
Rogen and actor Bill Hader - Deleted
scenes - Extended
and alternate scenes - Gag
reel - Line-O-Rama
Featurette - Roller
Coaster Doc Featurette - Directing
the Director Featurette - Topless
Scene: Web Design Company Featurette - Loudon
Wainwright
THE
PITCH
Seth Rogen explores Grey’s Anatomy.
THE
HUMANS
Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, Martin
Starr and Jason Segel
THE
NUTSHELL
Seth
Rogen and Katherine Heigl make unwanted pregnancy fun again. Whether they
discuss the nature of doggy style or they try to have mid-term sex, fun is had
by all. Throw in Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann as the older couple that’s
constipated and sexless and watch the hijinks ensue. This is the kind of fried
gold that have made sitcoms last for decades on end.
THE
LOWDOWN
Knocked
Up is a really special film about that odd as hell time known as your
twenties. You have absolutely no idea what to do with your life, as the world
favors the youth and the older folks. So, you smoke a lot of pot and look for
majestic nudity in mediocre films. The world is simple until one night you make
a mistake and you have to squeeze about a decade’s work of growing up into nine
months. Then, there’s the fact that the person you’re shackled to probably
can’t stand your ass.
It’s
sobering to see such a perspective flip, when Apatow’s first flick The 40 Year
Old Virgin was directed at the geeky base. Well, it was a mainstream
perspective of the geeks of many shapes that populate the American landscape. In Knocked Up, we see a continuation of the themes of arrested development in
the growth of the twenty to thirty year old American. The products of a
consciousness washed in self-value and pop culture, it’s not surprising to see
a film about adults who can’t give up their youth being such a hit. Riding that
Zeitgeist right now shows that we’re all scared of being AARP members before we
can enjoy Fantasy Sports or sex again.
Almost
from the point of birth, we’re told to be these independent little creatures
that are unique and special. It’s the Real World that drives any silly notions
out of your head with promises and delivery of embarrassing failure at every
corner. Apatow takes a near Gervaisian pleasure in reveling in the misery that
this situation produces, but he brings us back from the edge. There is hope
after all and Apatow brings it in a slow build to the final reel. We might not
be unique or perfect, but we can work it on. That notion that Apatow keeps
plugging into the film keeps one from wanting to jump into traffic and it’s
honest. You don’t get a lot of that in a mainstream film.
Then,
there’s Katherine Heigl. A lot of people view her character as too Hollywood
and too much of an idealized woman. Someone that Rogen’s character could never
get in real life. If the film was completely told from Alison Scott’s
perspective, it could be a modern femme horror movie. The workaholic lady takes
a night off to have fun with her sister, while drunk she gets knocked up by a
fat ogre. I’ve seen women fall apart over less. I find her role in the story to
be more enjoyable, as she’s actually got the farthest to go. There’s the
whole aspect of the mother protecting her unborn, but there’s also here
consideration of Ben’s feelings in the matter. She wants to respect the guy and
involve him in the matter. But, she’s fighting a gut instinct the entire time
that says ditch the guy and hope for the best on your own.
I could
sit here and go on and on about character arcs, but I’d be amiss if I forgot
about the supporting cast. Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann are the unsung heroes of
the film, as the lead couple that Alison keeps comparing her situation with
Ben. She tests her conception of the family unit on what her sister has
achieved, but she can’t bring it to a point in which she can validate a
prolonged relationship with Ben. Alison wants the father of her child in her
life, but she’s not sure if she needs him. When combated with the thought of
her brother-in-law’s possible infidelity, she’s left confused and doesn’t know
if anything she knows can enter into the
mother could lead.
Then
there are Ben Stone’s stoner pals that want to start the nudie celebrity
website with Ben. There’s nothing I can say about that group that other
reviewers and the leagues of moviegoers over the summer haven’t voiced. So,
I’ll leave with a word about Seth Rogen’s performance as Ben Stone. Seth Rogen
carries this film on his back. I know that a lot of people give attention to
the other actors, but this has been Rogen’s year. Between Superbad and this
film, he’s become the hairy face of the ADHD generation. They’re a bunch of
kids that can’t give a shit about anything larger than them, because they’ve
been given no reason to care. The journey that Rogen as Ben Stone undertakes is
inspiring. We can’t all be Mr. Skin, but we can be the people that our
significant others need.
THE
PACKAGE
The
Unrated 2-Disc Collector’s Edition of Knocked Up is a stacked affair that I
would consider to be one of the releases this year. Similar to the 40 Year Old
Virgin release, we get a slightly extended version of the original theatrical
release. It’s not a bawdy change that prolongs the film past enjoyment and into
dull repetition like the Virgin extended cut. Everything feels earned, as we
get to spend more time with Ben and Alison. There’s no drawn out sequence with
Stormy Daniels or any other potholes.
The multitudes
of featurettes are dedicated to the various aspects of the production whether
they were real or not. A big deal has been made on-line of the various bonus
features that were created after Universal brought Capote director Bennett
Miller in to shoot some bonus material. We get a look at the 6th
unseen roommate named Gummy. Gummy was originally going to be played by David
Krumholtz, but he took off for a role in a Woody Allen flick that never
happened. The rest of the featurettes run from the miniscule to the usual
alternate/deleted takes. But, the gem is watching Michael Cera lose his shit
when it came to not getting the role. Those of you that strolled around the
site around the theatrical release, probably remember seeing this promotional
video.
By the
time I finished the set, I was a little winded. Everything that was salvageable
has been loaded onto this set and I feel like it might’ve been a little too
much. Specifically, I’m looking at the Rollercoaster Shoot featurette. I
mentioned briefly about how the set tended to relish in the tiniest details
about the production, but this went nowhere. The only enjoyment to be had is
Jay Baruchel having a panic attack. But, taking delight in the terror of others
doesn’t warrant a featurette. Every studio should be proud to have such an
abundance of riches crammed into a two-disc set.
9.9 out of 10