Judd Apatow is a
great filmmaker, but this is not one of his best, the two leads are not one I
will go out of my way to see in a movie, so having them both here, just added
to the disappointment.
This movie is
packed with sexual references, slackers, and a bunch of weird nerds. One of
them somehow ends up romantically involved with a seemingly normal person after
a one-night stand. Wow—a one-night stand turns into the foundation for a happy
couple. How this movie has a certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with
audiences loving it just as much, is beyond me.
The film
features too many characters doing absolutely nothing to contribute to the
story’s bottom line, other than reinforcing ideas the movie already sold about
the leads. Talk about predictability—this is one of the easiest movies to get
bored watching. It plays all the familiar Hollywood rom-com tunes and pretends
to offer a happily-ever-after ending that feels unrealistic, even by Hollywood
standards.
The plot
revolves around a slacker named Ben (Seth Rogen), who meets a career-driven
woman named Alison (Katherine Heigl). They meet at a club, and their one-night
stand results in Alison becoming pregnant. The reason no protection was used?
Both had a bit too much to drink and ended up miscommunicating.
Alison informs
Ben about the pregnancy, and he promises to be there for her. Alison gets
various pieces of advice, including abortion as an option, but she ultimately
decides to keep the baby.
The movie takes
us through their attempts to navigate this unexpected situation. Meanwhile,
there’s a subplot involving Alison’s sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) and Debbie’s
husband Pete (Paul Rudd). Their struggles to maintain their marriage and sanity
often feel more compelling than the main storyline.
I didn’t feel
much chemistry between Heigl and Rogen, but the dynamic between Rudd and Mann
was far more engaging. Their story of marriage and its challenges was, to me,
the highlight of the film.
The movie
includes crude sexual humor and may come across as insensitive in its treatment
of pregnancy, but I feel all of that was simply a ploy to get people talking.
Despite my reservations, the movie was both a critical and commercial success,
leading to a 2012 spin-off, This Is 40, starring Rudd and Mann.
If you’re in the mood for a good rom-com, there are better options out there. Judd Apatow wrote, directed, and co-produced this one, but it falls short of his usual standard.
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