Late in the summer of 2005, Steve Carrell’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin defied conventional wisdom about R-rated comedies — helped in part, no doubt, by a self-effacingly chipper poster — and in the process became a $100-million-plus smash, pretty much allowing writer-director Judd Apatow the autonomy to do whatever the hell he pleased as a follow-up.

Apatow smartly diversified his holdings as a producer, but chose to center his next own feature film around Freaks and Geeks alum and The 40-Year-Old Virgin costar Seth Rogen. The subject: a harmless if mismatched one-night stand gone awry between a driven career gal (Katherine Heigl) and amiable loafer — and thus, by extension, the onrushing traumas of adulthood and all its attendant responsibility. Further, proper reviews will follow later this week, but it suffices to say that Knocked Up, anchored by a very funny breakout performance from Rogen, is rightly poised to inherit the mantle of this summer’s great, lasting comedy.

Part of the genius talent of Apatow lies in the manner in which he seemingly sublimates his own comedic voice to that of his star or stars. It’s only upon further reflection that you realize how crafty of a marionette master he really is. While his lack of allegiance to a strict narrative drumbeat means his work very occasionally drags (Knocked Up’s second and third acts have essentially three or four tent-pole moments around which everything else is constructed), his scenes aren't dumb (they refreshingly have intros and outros), and Apatow is also not afraid to let improvisational runs extend into idiosyncratic terrain, confident that the law of averages will bail him out.

Some of Knocked Up’s funniest bits, to me (Rogen’s character remarking that Paul Rudd’s hapless married guy looks “dressed up like a cholo on Easter,” say), might barely register in Nebraska, but Apatow isn’t overly precious about his jokes, which is why Serpico, Matthew Fox, pink eye and Robin Williams' knuckles all come up. He instead crafts relatable characters who demonstrate a real investment in their angst and panic, establishes a few loose parameters and then pitches all around a theme. A bit bawdy but mostly heartfelt, the results — in the case of both of his movies — are pieces of equal enjoyment and distinct personality. For a full review of the movie, click here.

        

 

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