Knocked Up: Judd Apatow is 2 for 2.

The short version:

Knocked Up is good, real good.

The longer version:

Judd Apatow has been on a streak lately with his minor miracle of a film The 40-Year Old Virgin becoming a surprise smash two summers ago. So naturally, a sequel was probably required by cash-strapped Universal to save whats left of their dumpstered reputation. Well Knocked Up isn't a sequel, not quite. It has most of not the same cast (even Carrell is in it... as himself) and was even originally conceived to be a sequel according to IMDB. But the result has nothing to do with that film... which is perfectly fine since Knocked Up is still pretty damn good.

Apatow regular Seth Rogan plays Ben Stone, a Jewish Canadian shlub living illegally in LA off of funds he received from a traffic accident settlement. He and his buddies are trying to make a living running a website that lists all the shots of bare breasted women from all those crappy softcore exploitation flicks that you and I pretend we don't watch (IE: Wild Things) while goofing off and smoking lots and lots of marijuana. Life is good for Ben... until he meets Alison.

Alison (Katherine Heigl) is a professional working woman. She's just landed an on-air gig at E! after taking Ryan Seacrest's (who is brilliant in his tiny little cameo) verbal abuse for many a day working back stage. She's got it all, money, fame, fortune, and a bun in the oven left by one Ben Stone. You see Ben had a one night stand with Alison a while back where he didn't use a condom. 4 weeks later, that one night stand has started cellular mitosis. Alison doesn't want to abort the pregnancy and this forces our new and somewhat awkward couple to get to know each other. This is the central plot of the movie.

As you can see its a very simple plot, and its also complicated by a couple subplots that go nowhere like the one about Alison's sister that goes nowhere, but Apatow's writing is so rich with wit and one liners that you forget about the story (unlike a certain flick last year whose name I shall not mention here). Its cute and sweet and I enjoyed it.

HOWEVER...

I didn't find it as funny as I did to Hot Fuzz a few weeks back. Most of the jokes elicited minor chuckles and not the straight guffaws I got out of that flick. Hence a lower position in my current sig on TZ.

**** 1/2 out of *****