Starring: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, Romany Malco, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Martin
Written & Directed By: Michael McCullers
Released: 2008
Grade: B-
When Baby Mama first came out I had a hard time taking it seriously, not that it is the type of film that is meant to. It just seemed like it was more appropriate for a Saturday Night Live skit that could have been done when the two leads were on the show together rather than a feature film. Than again there are many instances of SNL skits that translated to the movies very well such as A Night at the Roxbury and Wayne’s World. I did not have these expectations for Baby Mama and the previews really made it seem stupid and lacking very much comedy. The story really isn’t very good. Sure it has a little irony and awkwardness to it that the comedy is able to play off of somewhat. However, it is the tremendous cast of very diverse actors that deliver on the perfect timing and enhance the comedy making it much more enjoyable than the script alone would suggest.
Kate (Fey) is a successful businesswoman and the vice president of her company. She is the youngest in her company to achieve this type of position, but her fears rest on not having a family of her own. She was with a man for 6 years, but that was the closest that she ever got to marriage. More than anything she truly yearns for a baby. She has tried to get pregnant before with no success. Kate even considers adoption, but it is going to take 5 years before she would able to adopt a child, which is longer than she feels she is able to wait. She has been told that she is infertile due to her T-shaped uterus so it is “no good“. So Kate goes to the last solution she thinks may give her a baby: paying thousands of dollars to pay another woman to have her baby for her. Angie (Poehler) ends up being that woman. She lives with her husband, Carl (Shepard), and aside from this pregnancy gig, they are both unemployed and pretty desperate for money.
Things do go off to a bumpy start when Angie leaves Carl and ends up living with Kate. Kate
does want to be there every step of the way and this enables her to watch Angie and make sure she is taking care of herself and the baby. Angie tends to eat a lot of junk food, which Kate has a problem with. The two of them do work through things and it seems that they are able to form a friendship between them, each getting the other to live outside of their comfort zone a bit. Angie is hiding a secret from Kate that could ruin this all and cause Kate to run away when she finally finds someone she might be able to really care about, a smoothie shop owner named Rob (Kinnear).
The cast truly made this film and it is really quite surprising just how much they did with it. Amy Poehler, has had quite a few smaller supporting roles in popular comedy, yet more times than not she doesn’t end up being very enjoyable on screen to watch. Here she played a similar loud character with a lot of attitude, and although she didn’t have the most likeable personality, Poehler still pulled it off and was really a joy to watch. Tina Fey works wonderfully aside of Poehler, with their characters being so opposite, they are able to bring out a lot in each other and enhance the comedy, building the entire film. There were also a handful of talented actors that helped along the film. Sigourney Weaver was one of the best as the overly fertile old woman. Just her casualness and smirks were enough to drive Kate crazy and a lot about her seems quite impossible, which is where the character’s comedy comes from. Steve Martin did well as Kate’s hippy over-psychological boss, making Kate really seem all the more smarter.
Dax Shepard was typical Dax Shepard in the arrogant, no good, sleazy guy role. Although this is nothing new for him he was still able to give us some laughs with his character’s ways and how his pride and his selfish desires contradicted with each other. Greg Kinnear also played the small business owner, former lawyer, and Kate’s love interest well. There wasn’t a lot to his character,
but he was able to give us a certain level of likeability and charm. Also, I could really see Fey and him together, they just seemed to fit. Romany Malco is really the brightest aside from the two leads. In many films he is the guy that we should be offended by, but can’t help but laugh along with him, vulgarity and all. Although, he has the same presence here, it is interesting that most of the time he sees the flaws and lies around him and is the first to say “tisk,tisk”. He is very enjoyable to watch here and gives us laughs as well as questioning of the morality of this story.
For me, the most enjoyable aspect of it is just how flawed all of the characters are yet they all do something for the audience. Kate may be an intelligent and successful businesswoman who was able to put her career first and waited until she was able to move on to the next step of her life, but she lets the desire for building a family pile up to the point where she is completely desperate. She is obsessed with having a baby. At her age it is understandable since soon it will be too late and it is clear it is not something she wants to miss out on. As understandable as it is in some ways, it also seems a bit over the top. Especially, since the end is a bit too picture perfect and unrealistic. Angie in particular is pretty white trash and ignorant, yet she has a spark and even a heart to her. I could go on as all of the characters are those that are very flawed, some having more bad qualities than good, yet they are able to radiate energy that generates sheer enjoyment. Baby Mama is predictable and has a lackluster story that wouldn’t really be necessary realistically, yet miraculously gives us ironic dialogue, a crazy and hectic situation, and charming acting. Some of the funniest moments were the doctor’s claim of how much he just does not like Kate’s Uterus, Kate’s mother’s seemingly pickiness of the baby, which mocks the popular celebrity baby trends, and Malco’s baby mama comments that translates to guys who are players to Kate’s situation. Baby Mama may not be one of the funniest films of the year, but it is a lot more fun than it looks on paper.
Written & Directed By: Michael McCullers
Released: 2008
Grade: B-
When Baby Mama first came out I had a hard time taking it seriously, not that it is the type of film that is meant to. It just seemed like it was more appropriate for a Saturday Night Live skit that could have been done when the two leads were on the show together rather than a feature film. Than again there are many instances of SNL skits that translated to the movies very well such as A Night at the Roxbury and Wayne’s World. I did not have these expectations for Baby Mama and the previews really made it seem stupid and lacking very much comedy. The story really isn’t very good. Sure it has a little irony and awkwardness to it that the comedy is able to play off of somewhat. However, it is the tremendous cast of very diverse actors that deliver on the perfect timing and enhance the comedy making it much more enjoyable than the script alone would suggest.
Kate (Fey) is a successful businesswoman and the vice president of her company. She is the youngest in her company to achieve this type of position, but her fears rest on not having a family of her own. She was with a man for 6 years, but that was the closest that she ever got to marriage. More than anything she truly yearns for a baby. She has tried to get pregnant before with no success. Kate even considers adoption, but it is going to take 5 years before she would able to adopt a child, which is longer than she feels she is able to wait. She has been told that she is infertile due to her T-shaped uterus so it is “no good“. So Kate goes to the last solution she thinks may give her a baby: paying thousands of dollars to pay another woman to have her baby for her. Angie (Poehler) ends up being that woman. She lives with her husband, Carl (Shepard), and aside from this pregnancy gig, they are both unemployed and pretty desperate for money.
Things do go off to a bumpy start when Angie leaves Carl and ends up living with Kate. Kate
does want to be there every step of the way and this enables her to watch Angie and make sure she is taking care of herself and the baby. Angie tends to eat a lot of junk food, which Kate has a problem with. The two of them do work through things and it seems that they are able to form a friendship between them, each getting the other to live outside of their comfort zone a bit. Angie is hiding a secret from Kate that could ruin this all and cause Kate to run away when she finally finds someone she might be able to really care about, a smoothie shop owner named Rob (Kinnear).The cast truly made this film and it is really quite surprising just how much they did with it. Amy Poehler, has had quite a few smaller supporting roles in popular comedy, yet more times than not she doesn’t end up being very enjoyable on screen to watch. Here she played a similar loud character with a lot of attitude, and although she didn’t have the most likeable personality, Poehler still pulled it off and was really a joy to watch. Tina Fey works wonderfully aside of Poehler, with their characters being so opposite, they are able to bring out a lot in each other and enhance the comedy, building the entire film. There were also a handful of talented actors that helped along the film. Sigourney Weaver was one of the best as the overly fertile old woman. Just her casualness and smirks were enough to drive Kate crazy and a lot about her seems quite impossible, which is where the character’s comedy comes from. Steve Martin did well as Kate’s hippy over-psychological boss, making Kate really seem all the more smarter.
Dax Shepard was typical Dax Shepard in the arrogant, no good, sleazy guy role. Although this is nothing new for him he was still able to give us some laughs with his character’s ways and how his pride and his selfish desires contradicted with each other. Greg Kinnear also played the small business owner, former lawyer, and Kate’s love interest well. There wasn’t a lot to his character,
but he was able to give us a certain level of likeability and charm. Also, I could really see Fey and him together, they just seemed to fit. Romany Malco is really the brightest aside from the two leads. In many films he is the guy that we should be offended by, but can’t help but laugh along with him, vulgarity and all. Although, he has the same presence here, it is interesting that most of the time he sees the flaws and lies around him and is the first to say “tisk,tisk”. He is very enjoyable to watch here and gives us laughs as well as questioning of the morality of this story.For me, the most enjoyable aspect of it is just how flawed all of the characters are yet they all do something for the audience. Kate may be an intelligent and successful businesswoman who was able to put her career first and waited until she was able to move on to the next step of her life, but she lets the desire for building a family pile up to the point where she is completely desperate. She is obsessed with having a baby. At her age it is understandable since soon it will be too late and it is clear it is not something she wants to miss out on. As understandable as it is in some ways, it also seems a bit over the top. Especially, since the end is a bit too picture perfect and unrealistic. Angie in particular is pretty white trash and ignorant, yet she has a spark and even a heart to her. I could go on as all of the characters are those that are very flawed, some having more bad qualities than good, yet they are able to radiate energy that generates sheer enjoyment. Baby Mama is predictable and has a lackluster story that wouldn’t really be necessary realistically, yet miraculously gives us ironic dialogue, a crazy and hectic situation, and charming acting. Some of the funniest moments were the doctor’s claim of how much he just does not like Kate’s Uterus, Kate’s mother’s seemingly pickiness of the baby, which mocks the popular celebrity baby trends, and Malco’s baby mama comments that translates to guys who are players to Kate’s situation. Baby Mama may not be one of the funniest films of the year, but it is a lot more fun than it looks on paper.
It is not one of the funniest, but it is ok.
I think it is safe to say that TIny Fey is great on 30 Rock and Amy Poehler rocks on SNL still!