Just what the doctor ordered

Girl meets boy. Boy gets girl pregnant. Boy and girl have to work out their differences in order to have baby together. Really, it's not at all an original or fresh plot, but director Judd Apatow is able to put a comedic, inspiring spin on the age-old story, making it a movie definitely worth its ridiculously long playing time.

Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) is a slave to the harsh TV biz but is finally able to land her dream promotion and get screen time as a reporter for E! news. While out to celebrate with her sister (Leslie Mann), Alison meets Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) and ends up taking him home at the end of the night. One thing leads to another and… you get the picture. Weeks later, Alison discovers she's pregnant. The two find that they can't stand being together but they must somehow cooperate so that they can raise their baby together.

This new flick is a great feel-good comedy that helps turn a huge, impossible situation into something that everyone can laugh at and enjoy. Everyone has had those days when nothing seems to go right, and in "Knocked Up," Alison and Ben have nine months of such days. The movie shows that no matter how poorly something is going, it can always be turned into an event for people to laugh about.

Apatow, who also wrote and produced "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," returns once more with a film that places the typical loser on top. Ben Stone doesn't have a job, a respectable bank account or a life, but he somehow ends up with the beautiful and driven Alison Scott. This gives him and all of his odd friends hope that one day they can end up like him. Clearly, Apatow is all about rooting for the little man.

Returning with Apatow is the same old group from his previous works, showing that sticking together in the movie biz really can warrant some great results (think the Ben Stiller-Owen Wilson-Will Farrell group, which has produced nonstop comedy hits). The "40-Year-Old Virgin" turned "Knocked Up" group includes star Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann (also Apatow's wife). Apatow's two kids also enter the scene as Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann's daughters.

Katherine Heigl, the beloved Izzie from ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," does not shine or give the viewer any reason to remember her in this role. She plays a determined, no-nonsense girl who wants the best of everything, and is thrown through a loop when she finds out her plans must change to make room for the baby. The character is much like Izzie from "Grey's Anatomy;" she will stop at nothing to get her way and often comes off as selfish. Heigl's role in "Knocked Up" doesn't show off any hidden acting talents that anyone couldn't see in an episode of "Grey's".

Heigl's weaknesses, combined with Rogen's inability to capture the audience, result in a film in which that the supporting characters almost take over. The plot line behind Alison's sister and brother-in-law's failing marriage is almost more exciting and intriguing than that behind the story of Alison and Ben, because Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann are able to create a more stimulating and funny atmosphere.

Though the main characters are not all that they could be, "Knocked Up" truly delivers what it says it will deliver: stupid-funny one-liners, bathroom humor and downright hilarious moments that keep the audience entertained for more than two hours until the ending finally comes with no surprises. Judd Apatow gets it right once again in this sweet, comedic tale that captures the humor in any situation.

"Knocked Up" is rated R for sexual content, drug use and language. Now playing everywhere