Netflix Losing R-Rated Raunchy Comedy Smash Hit Beloved By Audiences And Critics

Knocked Up was written, directed, and produced by Judd Apatow. The film serves as his second feature-length directorial effort, following 2005’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin starring Steve Carell.

Knocked Up features an all-star cast of comedy legends, including Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Jonah Hill, Martin Starr, and Jay Baruchel. As is the case for many of Apatow’s films, his real-life spouse Leslie Mann and their shared daughters Iris and Maude Apatow also appear in the cast.

The narrative of Knocked Up centers on a mismatched couple who attempt to pursue an ill-advised relationship after a one-night stand results in an unplanned pregnancy. The couple consists of Alison, a highly motivated career woman with dreams of becoming a serious journalist, and Ben, a goofball slacker who spends his time coding a pornographic website in between getting high and drinking alcohol with his buddies.

Despite the fact that they have nothing in common, the duo attempt to make a relationship work after they discover Alison has gotten pregnant, to hilariously disastrous effect.

Knocked Up is a spiritual sequel to The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and a predecessor to Apatow’s 2012 effort This Is 40. Like many of his films, Knocked Up consists mostly of improvised dialogue, especially playing on the hilarious observations of Apatow’s daughters, and the impeccable anti-chemistry of Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd, who portray Alison’s sister Debbie and her husband Pete, respectively.

Judd Apatow has also expressed that many of the scenes are loosely based on real arguments and absurd situations that he has encountered in his relationships, including one climactic scene in which Alison and Ben erupt into a fight on the way to a doctor’s appointment, resulting in Ben being kicked out of the car.

Unlike many straight-forward comedy films, Knocked Up managed to wow critics and audiences alike, and currently touts a critic score of 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film scored huge numbers at the box office, premiering second only to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and grossing just under $220 million at the worldwide box office, against an estimated production budget of only $25 million. Today, the movie is widely hailed as a classic, so you should definitely do yourself a favor and catch it on Netflix before it’s too late.

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Knocked Up will remain available to stream on Netflix until July 31, though after that, there’s no telling how long you may have to wait to see the film on another streamer. There has been an epidemic of classic films falling by the wayside on streaming lately, with many classic streaming originals removed from their respective libraries and doomed to languish in the memories of fans for the foreseeable future.