Knocked Up (2007)

Movie · 2007 · Comedy, Romance, Drama · 2h 9m · R · English

Curator score: 3.9/10 (672.7K ratings)

Save the due date.

Overview

A slacker and a career-driven woman accidentally conceive a child after a one-night stand. As they try to make the relationship work, they must navigate the challenges of parenthood and their differences in lifestyle and maturity.

Ratings

Director

Judd Apatow

Production

Apatow Productions, Universal Pictures

Cast

Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Martin Starr, Lo Mutuc, Iris Apatow, Maude Apatow, Joanna Kerns, Harold Ramis, Alan Tudyk, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Ken Jeong, Craig Robinson, Tim Bagley, Loudon Wainwright III

Curator Review

Verdict

A messy, funny, and surprisingly empathetic relationship comedy that turns an outrageous premise into a very human story about growing up, compromise, and the panic of impending responsibility. It’s uneven and dated in spots, but the chemistry, improvisational energy, and emotional honesty make it an easy recommendation for fans of character-driven studio comedies.

Best for

  • fans of raunchy but heartfelt comedies
  • viewers who like long, hangout-style relationship movies
  • people interested in flawed characters learning adulthood the hard way
  • audiences who enjoy Judd Apatow-era ensemble comedy

Skip if

  • you want a tightly plotted romantic comedy
  • you’re sensitive to crude humor and extended improvised banter
  • you dislike gender politics and relationship dynamics that feel of their era
  • you prefer polished, fast-paced comedies

Overview

Knocked Up is one of those big studio comedies that feels loose, shambling, and more emotionally observant than it first appears. The setup is blunt, but the movie spends most of its time on the awkward process of two mismatched people trying to become something like a family, with a lot of comic mileage from immaturity, fear, and mutual irritation.

Worth noting

What keeps it working is the ensemble texture. The supporting characters, from the guy friends to the sisterly and sibling dynamics, give the film a lived-in social world, and the performances keep the material from becoming a simple morality play. It’s funny in a very specific mid-2000s way, but the underlying anxieties about adulthood still land.

Bottom line

It’s not a clean or especially elegant movie, and some of its attitudes feel locked to the period. But as a comedy about accidental responsibility and the slow, humiliating work of growing up, it has real staying power. The best scenes find humor in how little anyone actually knows what they’re doing.

Top Letterboxd reviews

cait 👤 (3.5★) · 3012 likes

i love picking a movie not expecting bill hader and then getting a lil bit of bill hader 😩👌🏻

alessia (3★) · 2414 likes

if i were her i would’ve just aborted lol

neve (2.5★) · 1821 likes

shoutout to the chinese name for this movie, "one night... big belly"

Max Kearsley (3★) · 1741 likes

A horror film for most people under the age of 25

ZaraGwen (4★) · 1537 likes

I do not for one second believe that that couple would still be together after five years

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Topics

raunchy comedy, relationship drama, mid-2000s, ensemble cast, coming-of-age, parenthood, romantic tension, hangout comedy, improvised dialogue, adult responsibility

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