By Jessica Mitchell

Knocked Up

The surprise hit of the summer, “Knocked Up,” confirmed the commercial appeal of the team behind “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and cemented their status as the distinctive voice of the current 20-something generation.

“Knocked Up” is based on a relatively implausible pairing of the beautiful and professional Alison Scott, played by Katherine Heigl, and chubby slacker Ben Stone, played by Seth Rogen. When Alison gets a promotion to do on-camera work for the television channel E!, following a hilarious cameo by Ryan Seacrest, she and her sister go out to celebrate.

Alison and Ben’s paths cross at a club, and thanks to a mix of too much alcohol and not enough common sense, they wind up back at her place. The only immediate result of this drunken one night stand is the typical morning-after regret and an extremely awkward breakfast.

Fast forward two months and Alison’s morning sickness kicks in. Doubting the obvious, she takes no less than 20 pregnancy tests before finally accepting that she is pregnant from her brief tryst with Ben.

“Knocked Up” is different from other standard comic fare because it blends humor and pathos with incredible skill, and the more serious undertones don’t stray from the coarseness of the jokes and the tone of the film.

The themes of growing up and coming to terms with your responsibilities are integral to the success of the film, and also appeal to a wider audience than if the film solely contained lewd jokes and drug references.

Although “Knocked Up” contains vulgarity, the jokes stand well on their own, employing a good amount of bantering and extensive dialogue, and also referencing some pop culture standards and other movies.

One of the film’s greatest strengths is director Judd Apatow’s allowance of improvisation from his actors, resulting in some of the funniest moments in the film.

The DVD special features includes a line reel, showing alternate improvisations of some of the most memorable scenes of the film, and the actors’ talent is incredibly evident.

The other great strength of “Knocked Up” is the dexterity and brilliance of the film’s ensemble. The actors, especially those who play Ben’s group of friends, work amazingly well off each other, and their scenes are the funniest in the film. The camaraderie is obvious, as most of these actors worked together on Apatow’s iconic TV series, “Freaks and Geeks” and “Undeclared.”

“Knocked Up” was a commercial and critical success, due to the incredibly original writing. The deft blend of comedy and the more salient themes of adulthood and working through often dysfunctional relationships also add to the film.