Knocked Up

(The following is an unedited version of my review for The Aggie)

Usually a one-night stand is just that – one night. But when there’s a call eight weeks later by the girl, saying she’s pregnant, things are unexpectedly thrown off track for the lives of both partners. Such is the premise of the extremely funny, yet endearing comedy Knocked Up.

From the writer and director of The 40 Year Old Virgin (Judd Apatow), comes another very R-rated romp about relationships and all of the little quirks in between. With a stellar cast of mostly familiar faces from other Apatow productions like Virgin and shows “Freaks and Geeks” and “Undeclared,” the movie has great chemistry among the characters attached to both the male and female sides of this now forever changed couple.

The incomparable Seth Rogen, plays Ben Stone, a pothead with a life-plan of setting up an adult-themed website with his also stoner roommates. Meanwhile, Alison Scott, played by “Grey’s Anatomy’s” Katherine Heigl, is a stunning up and coming news correspondent for a television network, just landing a big promotion.

Then the two cross paths and bam – pregnant. The story develops as the two decide to proceed with the pregnancy, regardless of their differences and Alison’s initial lack of attraction toward Ben. So they get to know each other, as well as Ben’s friends and Alison’s sister and brother-in-law, who’s own instable marriage acts as the only immediate example of a relationship.

What is great about Apatow’s writing and directing is that most scenes feel very authentic and relatable with conservations involving numerous pop culture references said by the colorful characters. The dialogue between Ben and his friends are particularly candid, thus unforgettable with some of the best lines of the entire film.

Although there is a large focus on Ben’s development from loser status to a somewhat presentable person ready for parenthood, the film could have given more attention to Alison. Her character is clearly seen as more professional and responsible than Ben, but she isn’t given a solid foundation and seems slightly one-dimensional. The film also jumps quickly into the “in love” phase between Ben and Alison, without plainly showing why their feelings have suddenly changed.

The viewer might laugh at these characters and some of their wild shenanigans, but there is always a likeability factor that makes the audience root for every one of them. Up is both a strikingly sweet and crude film about the importance of making compromises and accepting the unexpected, whether through laughter, tears or, as Ben often prefers, a bong.

Waitress

(The following is an unedited version of my review for The Aggie)

Watching Waitress is just like eating a warm, sweet slice of pie. It’s satisfying and fulfilling, but it leaves one wanting just a bit more. Although the film centers on Jenna, a waitress in a small town southern diner, the collection of eccentric pies that she craftily bakes are also central pieces to the story.

Waitress celebrates the empowerment that one young woman finds through both her baked goods and her unborn baby. Keri Russell, best known for her curly-haired persona on the series “Felicity,” evolves from her college character and blossoms into a talented baker who lives with a good-for-nothing husband and begins having an affair with her doctor, after learning that she has her very own bun in the oven.

Russell is charming as ever as Jenna, in which the southern twang of her voice adds to the sweetness of her character, who is a politely outspoken and independent dreamer, but not when it comes to her demanding and pathetic husband. Russell easily captures the conflicting emotions that Jenna feels as she wants to leave her husband and as she falls for her new doctor, as it can easily be seen on her face with the slightest change of expression.

Throughout the film, Jenna’s emotions are narrated into recipes for pies that reflect her ever-changing moods between her lousy marriage and hopeful affair. She titles one such pie, “Pregnant Miserable Self Pitying Loser Pie,” as she remains rather unenthused about her pregnancy. She also talks in voiceovers to her unborn child, with both resentment at the troubles it is bringing to her life and with utter joy as to the changes it could possibly cause.

With the use of narration and tableau-like shots, which highlight particular scenes to more closely observe the characters’ settings, an element of hyperbole exists to enrich what could be a simple story of a good girl in a bad situation. Although Jenna’s husband’s antics and requests are appalling and slightly overdone, it makes for a more heartbreaking position for Jenna to be in, as she submits her own wants to his needs.

Late director, writer and co-star, Adrienne Shelly, presents a unique story, focusing on Jenna and the other two waitresses at the diner. They all live in a dead-end world with little opportunity, yet each remain hopeful for either better things to come or purely the little pleasures in life. The other two waitresses, played by Shelly and Cheryl Hines, are quirky, enthusiastic coworkers and friends to Jenna, with problems of their own. The three are an uplifting trio for each other as they face series of unhappiness while managing to serve customers with big, sparkling white smiles.

Like many romantic comedies, certain aspects of the story are nicely concluded, but it is no fairy tale. Having amusing characters, such as the diner’s owner, played by Andy Griffith, a glowing performance by Russell and a poignant story by Shelly, the film is a therapeutic, feel-good story in the same way that Jenna takes solace in her baked remedies. With the right balance of comedy and drama, Waitress is also served as a pie should be – neither too hot nor too cold, but just right.