Knocked Up - Or A Star (Katherine Heigl) is Born
June 5th 2007 04:01
It's a hit!
A few months ago a few sites out there in the blogosphere began to buzz about a low budget R-rated movie that had just been completed called Knocked Up. A comedy starring the relatively minor grade stars Seth Rogen (of 40-Year Old Virgin fame) and Grey's Anatomy alum Katherine Heigl, it details the story of a relationship between a couple who have what is suppossed to be a one night stand... until Heigl's character gets, well, knocked up!
The success of Grey's Anatomy and Heigl's popularity on that show was a natural factor in the movie's chances of some success - a few of the Grey's faithful would show up and maybe garner the made-in-US$30-million movie something of a box office... for maybe a week or so.
In recent weeks, however, early reviews have begun to circulate and the picture suddenly looked set to be a small hit. For a low budget comedy it looked set to be a big hit, the surprise of the season even.
One weekend opening later and it's got everyone in Hollywood talking. Pirates of the Caribbean (roundly criticised) dropped from it's hundred million dollar opening to a disappointing US$42 million.
It would seem both young stars Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl have arrived in Hollywood and can now claim legitimacy as box-office draws. Heigl has recently been fighting with executives of Grey's claiming that her per-episode salary should be raised up alongside that of her co-stars. Something tells me that now they may have to take her more seriously. Right now Hollywood beckons and she would be a fool not to run without some serious cash being laid on the table.
Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen play a young couple everyone can realte to in some way...
So what's the story?
Believe it or not Knocked Up, despite it's R-rating, is one hell of a feel good movie. It's full of course language and drug use and sexually explicit to the maxxx! All the same this may just be the film that drags Hollywood romance movies into the 20th century. Here is a genuinely unique formula. What should be a chick flick will find an audience with guys too simply by successfully combining the ribald with the romantic.
Basically this is a modern comedy that deals with situations relevent to the now. Critics are calling it an instant classic and its not hard to see why.
Alison Scott (Heigl) is an up and coming staffer of the E! Television Network in L.A. who lives a very ordered and usually domestic life with her sister Debbie and brother-in-law Pete at their pool house. Ben Stone, by contrast, is a pot smoking party boy who lives with his friends Jason, Jay, Jonah and Martin. Together they are kinda-sorta setting up a website.
When Alison is promoted to on-air host at E! she goes out partying with her sister Debbie to an L.A. club, and there she meets Ben.
After Debbie leaves, Alison and Ben get mucho-drunko and they head back to Alison's place where a very drunk Ben misunderstands Alison's words "just do it!" and instead of getting on with putting on his condom he just get's it on!
What follows is an hilariously relevent and unashamed look at the options open to young couples these days who find themselves with an unexpected surprise on their hands. Does a child have to spell marriage and happily ever after?
Excellent subplots about drinking and drugging, marital discord, the L.A. club-culture and Hollywood's pregnancy fad and weight obsession round the film out to something more than a cheesy happily ever after where everyone learns a sound lesson about life.
It DOES end happily ever after! That's something a lot of movies released in the last four weeks could take a tip from. It's good to actually see a movie end rather than just trickle off!
Heigl, with her movie star good looks has become just that: a movie star. There will be no talk of Oscars here but her screen career is all set, while co-star Rogen has finally grabbed a leading role and undoubtedly a concrete future in Hollywood's comedy movie industry. These two young up and comers are worth watching.
The new face of romantic comedy
Running at a little over two hours, Knocked Up is just what the romantic movie genre needed and will unqeustionably delight audiences everywhere.
Knocked Up has advanced screenings in Australia on June 27th before opening with a wide release on July 5.
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