Movie review: “Baby Mama”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Former “Saturday Night Live Weekend Update” co-anchors Tina Fey and Amy Poehler reunite for the feature comedy “Baby Mama.”
Former “SNL” scribe Michael McCullers wrote the screenplay and makes his directorial debut with the peppy comedy that offers some laughs but mostly feels like a wasted opportunity.
The story centers on Kate Holbrook (Fey), a driven executive with Philadelphia-based Round Foods Organic Market, a Whole Foods-like chain led by the bizarrely New Age Barry (a ponytailed and game Steve Martin). Kate, 37, has for years delayed marriage and motherhood for her career but now has a deep desire to have a baby.
She decides the adoption process takes too long for a single woman, and several withdrawals from a sperm bank fail. After her fertility doctor tells her the shape of her uterus makes conception unlikely, Kate decides to visit the expensive surrogacy center run by the humorless and shockingly fertile Chaffee Bicknell (Sigourney Weaver, showing her often-overlooked comedy chops).
Despite the center’s background checks and allegedly high standards, Kate gets Angie Ostrowiski, a scatterbrained, white trash, junk food junkie, as her surrogate. Angie and her slacker common-law husband Carl (Dax Shepard) make it clear she is willing to carry Kate’s baby only because they want the big monetary payoff.
Shortly after her positive pregnancy test and first ultrasound, Angie leaves her loser spouse and shows up on Kate’s doorstep. For the sake of her unborn baby, Kate lets Angie move in. Their opposing personalities immediately – and predictably – start to clash.
As the pregnancy progresses, Kate must find common ground with Angie, get ready for her bundle of joy, oversee the opening of her company’s flagship store and manage a new romance with smoothie shop owner Rob (Greg Kinnear).
“Baby Mama” provides a decent girls’-night-out flick and a solid vehicle for the charmingly sardonic Fey and particularly for the hilarious Poehler, whose film career has mostly consisted of small, inconsequential roles.
Considering Fey’s considerable writing talents, the film likely would have been snappier and taken better advantage of Fey and Poehler’s great “SNL” chemistry if the “30 Rock” mastermind had penned the script. The movie also would have benefited from a more experienced comedic director to smooth out some of the pacing and timing shortcomings.
To McCullers’ credit, “Baby Mama” offers a few surprises, some giggles and just enough belly laughs to deliver a bouncy baby movie.
-BAM
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I think it would have been a better movie if it had been written by ANY woman. Normally, I don’t care about that sort of thing, but it’s weird that this story was written by a man.