Moviegoers know exactly what they are walking into upon viewing "Knocked Up" - the title alone gives that away.

There are many reasons why "Knocked Up" reeled in more than $30 million during its opening weekend. But there is more than just a barrel full of laughs that coincide with this film, and a very important message is recognized throughout the movie, which involves the consequences of ill-conceived, premarital sex, and how a couple deals with that situation.

Writer-director Judd Apatow ("The 40-Year-Old-Virgin") is quickly becoming a comedic genius and has created yet another laugh-out-loud film for all generations (excluding 17-and-under) to enjoy.

Basically, the plot is about hilarious loser Ben Stone (Seth Rogen), who meets educated, beautiful Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) at a bar. Heigl is celebrating a job promotion, while Stone is with some friends just looking to have a good time. By the end of the night, the heavily inebriated pair engages in a one-night stand, and eight weeks later - oops! - Scott finds out she is pregnant.

The thing I really loved about this film is Apatow did not dwell on the subject of whether or not Scott would have the baby or not; abortion was clearly not an option from the get-go. Apatow did not want to make a film driven by political or even personal reasons.

Although the two have absolutely nothing in common, Scott and Stone (ultimately) decide they want to stay together and make things work, before and after the child's birth. Some critics find it hard to believe such an intelligent and attractive woman like Scott would even fool around with the repellent and immature Stone, but it happens all the time.

Of course, "Knocked Up" would not be the same without several outside players, including the doomed, yet humorous marriage between Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann), Scott's sister. In addition, Stone lives with four clueless friends who get high together and tell crude jokes all day long. Their antics keep the audience laughing. Oh, and none of them have legitimate jobs, either, including Stone.

Without giving too much away, there was one particularly graphic scene which could have been excluded; it reminded me of watching "The Miracle of Life" in high school. And there were a bit too many beard jokes regarding one of the loser chums, Martin (Martin Starr). In fact, I lost track of the actual count after the hilarious Jonah (Jonah Hill) said, "You look like Robin Williams' knuckles."

The movie does tackle touchy subjects like adultery, pornography and drugs, but unfortunately that's the world we live in, like it or not. If anything, this film allows parents the chance to release their own personal fears to their children regarding the conflicts of marriage and parenting, as well as irresponsibility. It also deals with the pressures and responsibilities of adulthood, and how parenting can actually be more difficult than you think.

In summary, "Knocked Up" is bound to be this summer's hit comedy. The question of whether or not it can knock out up-and-coming flicks like "Evan Almighty" and "Superbad" remains yet to be seen.

Grade: B+
"Knocked Up" is Rated R for sexual content, drug use and language. The running time is 129 minutes.