Summary
- There is a massive family tree that is explored throughout Knocked Up and its spiritual sequel This Is 40.
- The centerpoints of the family are sisters Debbie (Leslie Mann) and Alison (Katherine Heigl).
- Although not every character appears in both movies, the family tree includes the sisters' spouses, children, and biological parents.
Over the course of Knocked Up and This Is 40, the movies explore a wide-ranging plethora of members of one particular family. The latter Judd Apatow comedy, which is a spiritual sequel to the former, takes two of the original movie's supporting characters and makes them the center of their own story, expanding their world even more. The lynchpin of the entire cast of characters across both movies is Leslie Mann's character Debbie, a boutique owner whose sister is one of the leads of the earlier movie.
While not every character who appears across both movies is part of the same family, as the casts of characters include plenty of friends, supporting players, and cameos, quite a few of the characters are related. Because Debbie and her sister have different last names from the very beginning of their first appearance onscreen together, the connections between all of the This Is 40 and Knocked Up characters can be confusing. However, ultimately, there is a clear family tree that develops over the course of both movies.
Related
Judd Apatow's classic comedy Knocked Up has a star-studded cast that is packed with celebrity cameos and some very unexpected guest appearances.
Alison Scott Is Debbie's Sister
Alison Scott Is Played By Katherine Heigl
Alison does not appear in the follow-up movie This Is 40, but she is the co-lead of the original movie Knocked Up. She is an on-air reporter with E! in addition to being Debbie's biological sister. It is through Alison that Debbie and her immediate family are introduced to the franchise, as Alison is living with them at the beginning of the movie and through the majority of the rest of the story. Debbie, who already has two children, becomes a major support figure for her sister when Alison becomes unexpectedly pregnant, which could potentially derail her career.
Ben Stone Is Debbie's Brother-In-Law (Probably)
Ben Stone Is Played By Seth Rogen
Ben Stone is a co-lead of Knocked Up who comes into the orbit of Debbie when he gets her sister Alison pregnant after what is meant to be a one-night stand. While Ben and Alison did not get married at the end of Knocked Up and the couple is not seen in This Is 40, writer-director Judd Apatow revealed that he cut a reference to the pair moving to Atlanta from the final script. While this does not necessarily mean that they got married before they moved, they are thus still together during the timeline of the later movie.
While Ben is not shown onscreen in This Is 40, he is briefly mentioned at one point when Pete talks about a time when Ben gave him a marijuana cookie.
Ben And Alison's Daughter Is Debbie's Niece
Ben And Alison's Daughter Is Uncredited
Ben and Alison's daughter is born at the end of Knocked Up, as the majority of the storyline involves the parents-to-be discussing if and how they intend to co-parent their child after Alison gets pregnant. Their daughter, who is not named over the course of the movie, is Debbie's biological niece. Although several children are part of the plot of This Is 40 and her lack of a name makes it difficult to determine if she is one of them, Ben and Alison's daughter does not seem to appear in the sequel.
Pete Is Debbie's Husband
Pete Is Played By Paul Rudd
Pete is one of the other key characters around whom the spiritual sequel This Is 40 revolves. In Knocked Up he is a talent scout, though later he is seen running his own struggling record label. In addition to being Debbie's husband, he is the father of their two children. However, their relationship is under strain in both movies as they appear to have constant unaddressed discord, including Debbie's suspicion in the original movie that Pete is having an affair, which becomes the primary focus of the later movie.
Sadie Is Debbie's Daughter
Sadie Is Played By Maude Apatow
Seen at age 8 in Knocked Up and age 13 in This Is 40, Sadie is one of the only characters aside from Pete and Debbie to appear in both movies, though she is a supporting character in both stories. She is the couple's biological daughter. She is given a slightly more robust storyline in the later movie, which includes a subplot where she fights with another student, Joseph (Ryan Lee), on social media. Her school also becomes an important setting in the movie.
Charlotte Is Debbie's Daughter
Charlotte Is Played By Iris Apatow
Another supporting character who appears in both movies is Charlotte, who is seen at age 3 in Knocked Up and age 8 in This Is 40. She is also Pete and Debbie's biological daughter as well as Sadie's younger sister. She and her sister have frequent fights, which becomes one of the core stressors for her parents when their marriage is undergoing strain throughout the latter movie.
"Alison's Mom" Is Debbie's Mother
Alison's Mom Is Played By Joanna Kerns
While the unnamed character is credited as "Alison's Mom" in Knocked Up because Alison is one of the two leads of the movie, she is the mother of Debbie as well. The sisters' mother plays a small role in the movie, pushing her daughter to focus on her career and consider getting an abortion instead of carrying her pregnancy to term. Just like Alison, she does not appear in This Is 40, not even for her other daughter's birthday party, further muddying the waters as to how tight the canon is between the two movies.
Oliver Is Debbie's Biological Father
Oliver Is Played By John Lithgow
Oliver is Debbie's estranged biological father. He is no longer together with Debbie and Alison's mother, as a scene between Alison and their mother in Knocked Up revealed that the duo have a stepfather and stepsister, who do not appear onscreen. While he does not appear in the original movie, Oliver does come to the fore in This Is 40. He appears in several scenes, including a tense lunch with his daughter and an ensemble scene set at Pete's 40th birthday party.
Larry Is Debbie's Father-In-Law
Larry Is Played By Albert Brooks
Another new paternal figure introduced in This Is 40 is Pete's father Larry. It makes sense that he wasn't introduced in Knocked Up, as Pete's relatives outside of his wife's side of the family were far from the main focus of the original story about Ben and Alison. However, he plays a very important role in the spiritual sequel. Larry's financial troubles are another source of strain for Debbie and Pete, as is his general disapproval of Debbie, but she and he eventually come to understand one another better over the course of the movie.
-
Knocked Up
R
Where to Watch
*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Knocked Up is a 2007 comedy about an unplanned pregnancy that results from a drunken one-night stand.Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl play the two leads, withPaul Rudd, Leslie Mann, andJonah Hill also sharing the spotlight. The movie was well received by viewers and received a sequel turned spin-off in 2012.
- Director
- Judd Apatow
- Release Date
- June 1, 2007
- Cast
- Jason Segel , Seth Rogen , Katherine Heigl , Jay Baruchel , Paul Rudd , Leslie Mann
- Runtime
- 129 minutes
-
This is 40
r
Where to Watch
*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Judd Apatow returns to the life-comedy drama style of films with This Is 40, a side-sequel to 2007’s Knocked up. The movie stars Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann as a married couple whose relationships are going through the motions as they approach forty years old and find themselves struggling to find time for each other. With the spark in their relationship seemingly flickering out, the two attempt to work on themselves – and each other – while dealing with their chaotic families.
- Director
- Judd Apatow
- Release Date
- January 10, 2013
- Cast
- Paul Rudd , Melissa McCarthy , Iris Apatow
- Runtime
- 134minutes
