Both are fantastic
Sadiq A. Ansari | Malibu, CA | 03/20/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Knocked Up is the funniest movie of the year not named Superbad. The Seth Rogan/Paul Rudd hotel room scene alone is worth the price of admission. Very rarely can I watch a movie three times in one week and still enjoy it. This movie is a perfect comedy - all of the jokes are a direct hit, the movie doesn't drag on, and it has a happy (albeit formulaic) ending.
40YoV is a near classic. It has a multitude of repeatable and instantly recognizable lines ("bags of sand?" and "ho fo' sho'"), introduces us to the likes of Seth Rogan and Jonah Hill, and features the song "Heat of the Moment" in its pivotal climactic scene (who doesn't love that song?). However, the movie is simply too long. The first two thirds of the movie provide non-stop laughs, and then the final third urgently focuses on the story line. This would be OK if Steve Carell's excellent performance as Andy Stitzer, an awkward but lovable manchild, weren't diluted by the awkward and painful performance of Catherine Keener as Andy's girlfriend Trish. Perhaps the lines for her character were written badly, but her reading of them is so forced and fraught with bad delivery that it is hard to tell. None of her purported jokes hit the mark, and we are left despising the protagonist's love interest because she is simply wasting our time. The first two thirds of this movie receive a 10/10, while the last third of this movie only merits a 7/10.
Notwithstanding the harsh words regarding 40YoV, both movies are highly recommended. Together, they provide both of the stereotypical happy endings commonly seen in movies (birth and wedding), so you will walk away feeling good about life in general. Also, there is an amazing, head-scratch-inducing, stupid-but-awesome rendition of "Age of Aquarius.""