As funny a man as Judd Apatow must be with writing credits as good as Superbad under his belt, you constantly get the feeling he’s out of touch in this attempt at a high-brow, low-fi romantic comedy crossover.
While there are plenty of laughs throughout, the film clearly recognises its own problems from the start. Put simply, the plot and narrative are just too far-fetched, and while for most comedies thrive on this aspect, this is one that takes itself too seriously to do so.
The story is simple: a go-getting, high profile TV presenter (Katharine Heigl) meets an uber-lazy stoner (Seth Rogen), gets pregnant and has hilarious consequences dealing with this situation. Unfortunately, despite whatever dreams Rogen might have, the thought of these two characters as a couple who interact the way they do, just doesn’t sit comfortably. Indeed, had the roles been reversed and the male been the successful lead, meeting a down-and-out female, the film would’ve been lambasted for being highly sexist.
As it is the film knows this and proceeds to spend far too long making the scenario seem plausible. It is a shame too, as there are excellent performances from the majority of the cast, notibly Paul Rudd as the down-to-earth brother in law.
If you are willing to forgive the implausability of the situation and cast aside its efforts to portray a serious message in favour of the usual lightweight rom com experience, then as a film with some great gags and laugh-out-loud moments, it is perfect Friday night DVD material. Just don’t except any expert relationship advice when your partner doesn’t like it.