Knocked Up

Grade: A-

Judd Apatow, the twisted but kindhearted mastermind behind Freaks and Geeks and The 40 Year Old Virgin, reunites some of his favorite actors for this hilarious - but considerably overlong- morality play about a one night stand and the unexpected pregnancy that ensues. Seth Rogen, the tubby wise ass who played supporting roles in previous Apatow outings, steps into a leading role as Ben, a penniless stoner who lives with a gang of friends who hope to make it big by creating a website that documents all instances of female nudity on film (of course someone beat them to this years ago, but they're too busy smoking bongs through Darth Vader masks to notice) .

One night Ben meets a blond named Alison (the dull but tolerable Katherine Heigl) at a bar, goes home with her and, in a moment of lust-impaired communication, tosses his condom on the floor before stealing home. The main plot line, which follows their decision to have the baby and try to make a go of their relationship, is pretty cliched, but Apatow more than makes up for this with dozens of brilliantly scripted scenes with crude and playful dialogue (talking about Meg Ryan's full-frontal scenes from In the Cut, Ben says that she should have played Harry in When Harry Met Sally...yes, that's a really stupid joke, but Apatow and the cast make it all work with their giddy, child-like persistence).

Knocked Up owes much of its success to the supporting cast. Freaks and Geeks alums Jason Segel and Martin Starr are great as Ben's roomies, along with Jay Baruchel (Million Dollar Baby's borderline retarded wannabe boxer) and Jonah Hill from the upcoming comedy Superbad.

In Alison's far more upscale world we meet her controlling, biting sister (played by the hysterical Leslie Mann) and her suffocating brother-in-law (Paul Rudd: cute as ever but still not very compelling on screen).