‘Knocked Up’ delivers comedy

It is the time of year when Hollywood sacrifices the independent art films and underpaid, quality actors for special effects and movie stars. The summer blockbusters are out in full swing, and the weekend offers no exception to this with Universal Studios’ release of “Knocked Up.”

The film is directed by Judd Apatow and has many of the creators and actors of the wildly popular “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” It also runs with the herd of “frat pack” comedies that have seen a stream of success in recent years.

The film follows the story of Ben Stone (Seth Rogan of “Virgin”), who epitomizes a slacker. He lives with his four immature roommates, who behave like 12-year-olds trapped in the bodies of out-of-shape 20-year-olds. He does not have real job but spends his time developing a Web site that allows people to see nude shots in movies. He uses the rest of his time to support his drug habit. In contrast, Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl of “Grey’s Anatomy”) is a beautiful young professional who just got a job promotion at E! News network. One night at a bar, the two opposites meet each other and while intoxicated share a night of drunken, premarital passion which results in the contrived plot of the film — unexpected pregnancy.

What follows is a sweet-hearted, low-brow comedy that uses sarcasm and one-liners for laughs instead of the usual gross-out and slapstick comedy seen in so many movies today. Some of the film’s funniest scenes are hard to catch unless you are paying close attention and are up-to-date on your pop culture. The actors light up the screen, and it is hard to dislike many of the characters.

Some of the funniest performances come from Ben’s unadulterated friends and their girlfriends. Most of these actors are not famous, but they are humorous — not just in what they say, but in how they say it and how they look. Alison’s sister, Debbie, also delivers some easy laughs with her nervous personality. Debbie is played by Leslie Mann, the director’s wife, who was also in “Virgin” as the drunk girl driving the car.

There are several problems with the film — length, for one. “Knocked Up” is a somewhat odd, romantic comedy that runs over two hours. Movies like this should never run two hours, because the target audience has the attention span of a five-year-old with A.D.D. Not only is it long but it often gets too serious for the light film it tries to be. Many great comedies in recent years, such as “There’s Something About Mary,” “Shallow Hal” and “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” have surprisingly gotten sensitive in spots. However, instead of having sensitive spots, half of the plot is dedicated to the serious parts of parenting, which could have been completely left out and thereby shortened the film. This film is supposed to be a silly comedy and should not try to make the audience feel anything but light and happy.

Despite the film’s length it was No. 3 in the box office this weekend and, like many hit summer comedies, will undoubtedly have long legs. College students will be quoting this around campus well into the fall.