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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
Baby Mama
By Craig Younkin Published April 26, 2008
US Release: April 25, 2008
Directed by: Michael McCullers
Starring: Tina Fey , Amy Poehler , Sigourney Weaver , Greg Kinnear
PG-13 crude and sexual humor, language and a drug reference
Running Time: 96 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $60,269,340
Directed by: Michael McCullers
Starring: Tina Fey , Amy Poehler , Sigourney Weaver , Greg Kinnear
PG-13 crude and sexual humor, language and a drug reference
Running Time: 96 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $60,269,340
B
The movie is actually damn funny and when it’s not it’s usually really lovable and it’s nice to see a comedy that relies more on wit than on the next crude gag for a change.
“Baby Mama” is Tina Fey’s first lead film role. It’s well-deserved after her work on “Mean Girls” and “30 Rock," and she, along with co-star and former SNL cast mate Amy Poehler, do a really nice job of anchoring this one. Fey plays Kate Holbrook, a successful businesswoman who also happens to be a struggling single one. At 37, Kate decides it’s time to try and have a child on her own, but her plans are smashed when she finds out there is only a small chance that she can actually become pregnant. With no other option, Kate finds an unlikely surrogate in Angie (Amy Poehler), a trashy and low-rent girl who could really use the money. After learning that Angie is pregnant, Kate begins baby-prepping. Only what she doesn’t expect is the arrival of a pregnant Angie at her door with no place to go.
Writer/director Michael McCullers suggests to us early that “Baby Mama” is going to be a tired trip down formula-lane. Kate is an order-nut, Angie is a messy free-spirit, put them together and you have the most predictable storyline ever told. Thankfully enough, McCullers proves clever in finding some fresh laughs here, whether they be from the scary and awkward process of connecting your life with a complete stranger or in the “trivialized” world of modern pregnancy where baby-proofing, the fears of bad eating habits and chemicals in house-hold products, and research books and videos have become exaggerated to the point of causing constant anxiety. The movie is actually damn funny and when it’s not it’s usually really lovable and it’s nice to see a comedy that relies more on wit than on the next crude gag for a change.
Fey and Poehler are also a fantastic match. Fey plays self-deprecating and un-hip better than any actress out there and Poehler is a loonier and more zany comedic actress, and their previous work experience on SNL really shows here. Like some of the better buddy comedies of the past, they establish a chemistry that is as friendly and amusing as it is rocky. Having Greg Kinnear play Fey’s love interest and Dax Shepherd play Poehler’s idiot boyfriend is also perfect casting, as I had just as much fun watching these two comedic actresses toss around with them as I did with each other. And having two veteran and respected actors in your movie helps too. Sigourney Weaver as an older woman who's still as fertile as ever, and Steve Martin as Fey’s hippie vegan boss are both absolutely hilarious.
“Baby Mama” begins with an “oh no” but quickly settles into something witty and lovable. The script is smart and funny and the cast couldn’t be better, especially Fey and Poehler, who seem very comfortable playing off one another. This movie is a good start to two promising careers, and with any luck, two careers that will hopefully cross paths again in another movie.
Writer/director Michael McCullers suggests to us early that “Baby Mama” is going to be a tired trip down formula-lane. Kate is an order-nut, Angie is a messy free-spirit, put them together and you have the most predictable storyline ever told. Thankfully enough, McCullers proves clever in finding some fresh laughs here, whether they be from the scary and awkward process of connecting your life with a complete stranger or in the “trivialized” world of modern pregnancy where baby-proofing, the fears of bad eating habits and chemicals in house-hold products, and research books and videos have become exaggerated to the point of causing constant anxiety. The movie is actually damn funny and when it’s not it’s usually really lovable and it’s nice to see a comedy that relies more on wit than on the next crude gag for a change.
Fey and Poehler are also a fantastic match. Fey plays self-deprecating and un-hip better than any actress out there and Poehler is a loonier and more zany comedic actress, and their previous work experience on SNL really shows here. Like some of the better buddy comedies of the past, they establish a chemistry that is as friendly and amusing as it is rocky. Having Greg Kinnear play Fey’s love interest and Dax Shepherd play Poehler’s idiot boyfriend is also perfect casting, as I had just as much fun watching these two comedic actresses toss around with them as I did with each other. And having two veteran and respected actors in your movie helps too. Sigourney Weaver as an older woman who's still as fertile as ever, and Steve Martin as Fey’s hippie vegan boss are both absolutely hilarious.
“Baby Mama” begins with an “oh no” but quickly settles into something witty and lovable. The script is smart and funny and the cast couldn’t be better, especially Fey and Poehler, who seem very comfortable playing off one another. This movie is a good start to two promising careers, and with any luck, two careers that will hopefully cross paths again in another movie.
Craig's Grade: B
Craig's Overall Grading: 340 graded movies
| A | 10.9% | |
| B | 41.8% | |
| C | 31.8% | |
| D | 15.3% | |
| F | 0.3% |
