The Seth Rogen Comedy Blowing Up The Netflix Charts Right Now
One of Seth Rogen's surprisingly wholesome comedies is blowing up on Netflix. A comedic juggernaut who has lent his talents to several iconic franchises, Rogen's early pictures are always worth investigating. The actor made his cinematic debut in 2005's "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," a film Rogen didn't think would hit the mainstream. Two years later, he reunited with director Judd Apatow to lead "Knocked Up," now dominating on Netflix in the United States. On April 23, 2024, the romantic comedy stands out as the 7th most-watched film on the platform.
When "Knocked Up" debuted in 2007, it launched Rogen to superstardom and solidified Apatow as one of the leading comedic directors of the 2000s and early 2010s. The film grossed over $215 million worldwide, emerging as a major hit for Universal Pictures. The flick was a critical favorite — it boasts a solid 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, standing out as one of Rogen's highest-rated movies. Slate critic Stephanie Zacharek was particularly fond of "Knocked Up," describing Rogen as an "unlikely romantic-comedy lead whose charms sneak up on you gradually but persistently."
"Knocked Up" is also a classic for fans of Rogen. On the film-centric social media platform Letterboxd, users have awarded the film an average rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars. "... [T]he story is well written enough to actually make it believable that Katherine Heigl would fall in love with a guy like Seth Rogen," wrote user Mads Ej in a four-and-a-half star review.
What is Knocked Up about?
In "Knocked Up," Ben (Rogen) is a typical party-loving slacker who has a one-night stand with the career-focused Allison (Katherine Heigl). Their lives take a wild turn when Allison reveals that she's pregnant, forcing the polar opposites to come together and put aside their differences to raise a child. The pic also stars comedic heavyweights Bill Hader, Jason Segel, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd, and Leslie Mann in supporting roles. The success of "Knocked Up" compelled director Judd Apatow to tackle a sequel based on Rudd and Mann's characters titled "This Is 40." While that film wasn't as favorably received, Apatow has a "This Is 40" sequel idea — there's just one thing holding the filmmaker back.
The success of "Knocked Up" propelled Rogen to superstardom, allowing him to headline some of the funniest and most prominent films from that era. In 2016, Rogen looked back on the film positively. "As I was watching it [recently, for the first time in years], I thought, f**k, we are so funny together, me and Katherine. And as we were making the movie, honestly I would make a dozen movies with her," Rogen said on "The Howard Stern Show" (via E! News).
Unfortunately, Heigl and Rogen never worked again, but the "Knocked Up" star continues to make strides, especially as a producer. The creative helped bring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back to the big screen and is partially responsible for Prime Video's "The Boys" — a show that continues to shock Rogen.