Knocked UpMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Knocked Up."

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Avg. Critic Score: 85 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    The very opposite of a storybook romance, and also the very model of a great comedy for our values-driven time. Read full review

  • 100
    Variety | Joe Leydon

    Uproarious. Line for line, minute to minute, writer-director Judd Apatow's latest effort is more explosively funny, more frequently, than nearly any other major studio release in recent memory. Read full review

  • 100
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    An instant classic, a comedy that captures the sexual confusion and moral ambivalence of our moment without straining, pandering or preaching. Read full review

  • 90
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    Turns out to be not just rude, crude and outrageously funny but a deceptively sophisticated meditation on moral agency -- with pot jokes! Read full review

  • 90
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Judd Apatow's high-density, high-intensity comedy of bad (and good) manners is a cause for celebration -- the laugh lines are smart, and they come faster than you can process them. Read full review

  • 90
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    Apatow's gleefully raunchy movies are, in an odd and charming way, extremely family-friendly. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    What makes the movie so winning are its endearing and relatable characters who spout believable dialogue and amusing banter, steeped in clever pop-culture references and sharp observations of human nature. Read full review

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Rogen and Heigl step up to the plate with a tougher task from Coach Apatow: Nail every laugh and the emotions underlying them. No worries. They knock it out of the park. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Knocked Up has some rough edges, but it's a noteworthy film by a significant and blossoming talent. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Carina Chocano

    Funny, but its lacking at the core. Judd Apatow's comedy takes the guy's side of things, but how does the woman feel about all of this? Read full review

View more reviews for Knocked Up on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Raunchy but tender comedy about sex & parenthood.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that, like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, this comedy earns its R rating with drug use, strong language (it's constant, particularly "f--k"), nudity, and nonstop explicit conversations about sex. Naturally, most teenagers will want to see it, especially if they saw Virgin. But be advised -- the main character and his roommates spend nearly all of their time high on marijuana, and the physiological aspects of pregnancy -- from conception to crowning -- are front and center. (On the bright side, after watching all of that, it's a good bet that teens will be much less likely to risk having unprotected sex and may even appreciate what their mothers went through to give birth...)
  • Families can talk about the consequences of having sex -- including pregnancy and parenthood.
  • How do movies and TV shows usually depict unplanned pregnancy? How is this movie different?
  • Does the fact that it's a comedy make the issues seem less serious?
  • Do you think Alison and Ben made the right decisions? Why or why not?
  • Families can also discuss the "return" of the R-rated comedy. Do the raunchy bits make movies like this funnier, or do they go overboard?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Yes, there's unprotected sex and rampant drug use, but the consequences of both are made very apparent. Ben and Alison not only decide to have their baby but also to really get to know each other for the child's sake.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: Ben is far from a role model at the beginning of the film; Alison, whilst more mature, still engages in risky and foolish behavior. They do eventually grow together in order to "do the right thing", but the funniest part is watching them get there. They are hilarious to watch, but best look to them for guidance.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Some pushing and shoving.
  • sex false5 Sex: Fairly graphic sex scenes -- not in terms of nudity (although Rogen's bare butt is visible), but in the positions and conversation depicted. Everyone discusses sex, whether it's a married couple casually discussing whether to have it or a group of guys debating whether Ben's gonna get some, etc. There's also a realistic representation of pregnancy that includes a woman's hormonal shifts and sexual needs. At the end, there's an almost documentary-style childbirth scene. There's even movie-within-a-movie nudity (Ben's job is to record whenever an actress gets naked on screen). A couple of fairly brief topless scenes (including one graphic-but-funny lap-dance sequence).
  • language false5 Language: Lots and lots of cursing -- think Tarantino levels but in a funnier context: F-bombs galore (plus all the other "standards"); the "c" word; various euphemisms for sex and genitalia; colorful insults.
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: E! Entertainment Television, Ryan Seacrest, Spider-Man 3.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false5 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Ubiquitous marijuana use and pot paraphernalia among Ben and his friends. Ben and Pete do mushrooms and hallucinate. Alison and Ben get incredibly drunk before their one-night stand. Clubgoers are shown drinking.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

5.0

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… never lets up being gut-bustingly funny … Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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