Notes on Knocked Up

I saw Knocked Up last night. It's rare that I brave opening weekend crowds to see a movie, but I'm a big Judd Apatow fan.

Despite having to sit in the front row, I thought Knocked Up was a funny, poignant film – recalling much of the awkward, melancholic humor that made Freaks and Geeks so endearing.

Apatow isn’t always the most elegant filmmaker, but his ability to depict the everyday back-and-forth between characters is remarkable. Paul Rudd and Leslie “Fuckin’ FRANSH toast” Mann (Apatow’s real-life wife) are almost too real as a wistfully dysfunctional married couple with kids. You can't help but wince at some of their exchanges, yet Apatow is a master of tempering those Scenes from a Marriage moments with gut-busting laughs and take-home redemption. It's a date movie that won't leave either party feeling short-changed.