Four out of Five stars
Running time: 129 mins

Extremely funny, well written and sharply observed comedy with strong comic performances from its talented cast.

What's it all about?
Seth Rogen plays Ben Stone, a 23-year-old stoner who lives with his bong-smoking buddies (Jay Baruchel, Jason Segel, Jonah Hill and Martin Starr), idly dreaming of the day their in-development Naked Celebrities website makes them millionaires. Meanwhile, Katherine Heigl plays Alison, a beautiful, ambitious woman who's on the verge of becoming an on-air entertainment reporter for the E! network.

When Ben meets Alison in a bar, a drunken night out leads to a one night stand. Several weeks later, Alison tells an understandably horrified Ben that she's pregnant and the two decide to make a go of their relationship.

The Good
Written and directed by Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Knocked Up is commendable for making a relationship comedy out of a situation that's familiar to everyone and yet hardly ever seen on the big screen. As a result, the film contains many stupid jokes but treats its subject matter from an adult perspective.

Rogen is hilarious and makes a surprisingly credible romantic lead, even if, as he'd be the first to admit, Ben is way out of Alison's league. And Heigl is allowed to be funny too, thanks to a generous and sharply observed script that crackles with witty, quotable lines.

The Great
There's also a terrific supporting cast that includes Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd as Alison's sister and her put-upon husband, who have problems of their own. The interplay between Ben's flatmates is also hysterically funny, especially all the jokes relating to Martin Starr's grown-for-a-bet beard.

At 129 minutes, Knocked Up seems absurdly long for a comedy, but there are so many wonderful sequences that you'll barely notice.

Worth seeing?
Knocked Up is an intelligent, well directed and consistently hilarious comedy with terrific comic performances. Don't miss it.