Knocked Up and the Phenomenon of Bromance

Simply put, Judd Apatow is the man. For those of you who are not familiar with him, Apatow has directed, produced, and written some of the great comedies of the last few years, such as Anchorman, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Superbad, Pineapple Express, and the feature film for this posting, Knocked Up. He is also one of the pioneers behind the “Bromantic Comedy”, a sub-genre of comedy that involves intimate relationships between straight men. Bromantic Comedy or simply “Bromance”, has really taken off as these films have enjoyed great box-office success.

Knocked Up is a prime example of the Bromantic Comedy. Like many of Apatow’s other films, Seth Rogen plays the lead male character. Ben Stone (Rogen) is a lazy, immature stoner who finds himself in the position of father-to-be, after a one night stand turns out to be more than just that. [A note to women everywhere, never say “just do it” while a man is attempting to put on a condom or you could find yourself in the same situation.] After going out to a popular L.A. nightclub with his roommates, Ben meets Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl), a beautiful and career-oriented woman who is out with her sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) to celebrate her promotion at E!. Despite their differences, the two really hit it off and end up sleeping together. The next morning at breakfast, Alison sees what kind of guy Ben really is, and the two lose touch until her shocking discovery.

Eight weeks later, Alison throws up twice at work even though she hadn’t been sick. After a co-worker asks if she is pregnant, she races over to a drug store with Debbie where they buy a whole basket worth of home pregnancy tests. Once they get home (Alison lives with Debbie’s family), she tests positive, and as a result, is forced to tell Ben the news. The next night at dinner, Alison drops the bomb. Ben can’t believe it.

Alison: I’m pregnant.
Ben: Fuck off!
Alison: What?
Ben: What?
Alison: I’m pregnant.
Ben: With... emotion?
Alison: With a baby. You’re the father.

In spite of their rocky start, the two decide to give their relationship a shot and things go surprisingly well at first. Throughout all the time Ben spends with Alison, he meets Debbie’s husband Pete (Paul Rudd), and the two form a close bond. Here’s where the bromance really becomes apparent. In one of my favourite scenes of the movie, the two couples go out for dinner where the men are very chatty and having a great time, while the women sit quietly and are not amused.

Pete: It’s the time machine. Everyone has the time machine image.
Debbie: [to Ben and Pete] Hey, I have a really good idea. Why don't the two of you get into your time machine, go back in time and fuck each other.
Pete: Who needs a time machine?
Ben: [holds up his drink] This is my time machine.
Pete: I'm gonna throw you in my DeLorean and gun it to ‘88.
Ben: [Mimicks car noise] VRRROOOOM! [laughs] You are a funny mother fucker man, jesus, how can you fight with him? Look at his face, I just want to kiss it. [Pete laughs] I think he’s cute.
Pete: [looks at Ben] I like the way you move.

This scene perfectly represents the sexism that is evident in Knocked Up and Apatow’s other movies. The trend in these movies is men are irresponsible but fun, while women are too serious and uptight about everything. Another scene which reveals the sexism in this movie is when Debbie suspects Pete of cheating on her, so she, along with Alison and Ben, follow Pete one night only to find him playing fantasy baseball with his friends, which according to Debbie, is worse than cheating. Debbie and Alison are both furious with Pete for wanting to spend time with his friends instead of his family, while Ben finds the whole situation kind of funny. This sparks conflict in Ben and Alison’s relationship and the next day, they get into a big fight. With both of their relationships in the gutter, Ben and Pete take a road trip to Las Vegas where they take shrooms and go see Cirque du Soleil. They end up retreating to their hotel room due to their trip and realize they need to be more responsible if they are to win back their partners.

Pete and Debbie reconcile almost immediately, but Ben and Alison have a bit more trouble. To prove that he can be a good boyfriend, and more importantly, a good father, Ben takes responsibility for his life by reading the baby books, moving out of his friends’ house, and getting a real job as a web designer. Eventually, they get back together after Ben proves himself while Alison is going through labor. They have a baby girl and the couple settle down happily together.

While the movie revolves mainly around Ben, Alison, Pete, and Debbie, it is Ben’s stoner roommates who really steal the show in my opinion. While having smaller roles, Jason, Jay, Jonah, and Martin, are consistently hilarious and steal the spotlight from time to time throughout the movie. In fact, I am pretty sure I laughed every time one of them was in a scene. For instance:

Jay: Man, my balls are shaved, my pubes are trimmed, I'm ready to fuckin' rock this shit!
Jonah: What the fuck, man? If I go in there and see fuckin' pubes sprinkled on the toilet seat, I'm gonna fuckin' lose my mind! Last time I went to the bathroom, Jay, I took a shit and my shit looked like a fuckin' stuffed animal!

Or...

Jay: I'm going to be there to rear your child.
Jason: You hear that, Ben? Don't let him near the kid, he wants to rear your child!

And who could forget the beard jokes...

Jason: You stay here.
Martin: Why?
Jason: Cause your face looks like a vagina.
Martin: Dick!
Jonah: How's it going Crockett, been hanging with Tubbs lately?
Martin: Come on man, I'm getting it from all angles here, I really don't like it anymore.
Jonah: I know, me either. Was it weird when you changed your name from Cat Stevens to Yusef Islam?
Martin: Yeah, it was really awkward.
Jonah: All right, see you later Scorsese on coke.

As you can see, I could quote this movie all day, but I don’t want to take up anymore of your time, so if you haven’t seen this movie yet, get on it! And if you have seen it before, go see it again!

Check out the trailer!

L.A. Confidential

Off the record, on the QT, and very hush-hush...

The tagline of this movie couldn’t be further from its outcome as this brilliant film went on to make over $125 million, won two Oscars, and launched the careers of Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce. Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger, and Danny DeVito complete the all-star cast picked out by director Curtis Hanson.

Set in 1950s Los Angeles, L.A. Confidential follows the lives of three detectives, and their interconnection through a huge homicide case. Although the story is complex, the acting makes this movie worth seeing. The three main characters, Detective Jack Vincennes (Spacey), Lieutenant Ed Exley (Pearce), and Officer Bud White (Crowe), are all involved in solving the Nite Owl massacre, where several people were killed in the Nite Owl coffee shop, including White’s former partner.

Jack Vincennes is all about the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. By making celebrity arrests, his role as the technical advisor of Badge of Honor (a popular crime-drama show), and his connection to Sid Hudgeons (DeVito) of Hush-Hush magazine, he is pretty much a celebrity in his own right.

Ed Exley is a brilliant officer who plays by the rules. Through his hard work, he becomes lieutenant at the young age of 30, much to the dismay of his co-workers, most of whom are older. Exley is one of the few cops who isn’t corrupt on the force, and is labeled a “snitch” for not keeping his mouth shut.

Bud White, probably my favourite character in the movie, is a badass cop who uses violent tendencies to get the job done. At one point, White even gives another guy a swirly to get information out of him! After that fails, he proceeds to hang the man out of a window in the tall building. Brilliant work. But don’t let his rough appearance fool you. White has a soft side too. In fact his real name is Wendell! He also insists on beating the shit out of any women-beaters he encounters, and as a result, Lynn Bracken (Basinger), a “gorgeous slut” as described by Hudgeons, falls for him. Unfortunately for White, Hudgeons turns out to be right as we find out that Bracken is a prostitute for "Fleur-De-Lis", a call-girl service that employs movie star look-alikes. In case that didn’t piss off White enough, she sleeps with Exley shortly after. Apparently these cops just can’t get enough of the hookers, which I find ironic. In their defense, Basinger is a total smoke-show in this movie. It’s too bad whenever I hear her name I can only think of 8 Mile. Thanks Eminem.

This movie shows the “other side” of L.A. which we don’t hear about too often. Themes such as corruption, sleaze, violence, racism, and sexism are portrayed brilliantly in this film. On top of that, the dialogue, acting, and action are superb.

Here’s a taste of some of the clever and often humorous dialogue which went on to win the Oscar for Best Screenplay:

Sid Hudgens: 'It's Christmas Eve in the City of Angels and while decent citizens sleep the sleep of the righteous, hopheads prowl for marijuana, not knowing that a man is coming to stop them! Celebrity crimestopper Jack Vincennes, scourge of grasshoppers and dopefiends everywhere!' Ya like it, Jackie boy?

[After White finds a city councilman sleeping with Bracken]
Bud White: [flashes his badge] LAPD, shitbird. Get the fuck outta here or I'll call your wife to come get you!

Captain Dudley Smith: Go back to Jersey, sonny. This is the City of the Angels, and you haven't got any wings.

For those of you who have not seen this film yet, I won’t ruin the ending for you, but like any great crime-drama, there is a twist. The final showdown is pretty awesome too. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Russell Crowe use a shotgun. And I thought he was badass in Gladiator! Guy Pearce isn’t too bad with a gun either as he blasts away goon after goon. Oh those Aussies!

All in all L.A. Confidential is a great movie that I would strongly recommend for fans of action, drama, or suspense to see.

Read about this movie on IMDb or check out the trailer.