BABY MAMA
US, 2008, 99 minutes, Colour.
Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Greg Kinnear, Dack Shepard, Romany Malko, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Martin, Maura Tierney, Holland Taylor, James Rebhorn.
Directed by Michael Mc Cullers.
Much of this comedy derives from Saturday Night Live. Its stars, Amy Pohler and Tina Fey have made frequent appearances and have written for the show. Writer-director, Mike Mc Cullers (Austin Powers) has written for it and Lorne Michaels is a long-time producer. However, that having been said, it should be added that the satire is much lighter here – with a lot more feeling and sentiment.
Tina Fey portrays Kate, a rapidly upwardly-mobile VP of a prosperous health food company which is expanding its shops (and is presided over by an ex-hippie who is into the mantras, the jargon and the New Age processes but is now corporately rich – and is played by Steve Martin). She has never had the urge to have children but, at 37, she is now seeing children everywhere. An indiscreet gynaecologist tells her that her uterus is the wrong shape and she only has one chance in a million in conceiving. Adoption will take a very long time. She tries out sperm donors. And, finally, she goes to a chic surrogacy firm run with unctuous charm and ruthlessness by Sigourney Weaver (who has no trouble, at her age, of becoming pregnant naturally).
The prospective mother, Angie, is played by Amy Pohler (who has many funny roles to her credit, like Blades of Glory). She is what used to be called (and the ‘superior’ Kate still has little trouble in calling her) ‘white trash’. Dax Shepard is good as her ‘common-law’ husband.
Everything about the pregnancy itself seems to be going well, but Angie is one of the most politically incorrect eater, drinker, smoker, dancer, karaoke singer, couch potato that the screenwriters could think up. It all becomes a female version of The Odd Couple.
Naturally, Kate does overcome her snobbishness (which she obviously gets from her bluntly self-absorbed mother, Holland Taylor), helps Angie tidy up and better herself. Angie assists in Kate letting down her hair (actually, she puts it up when she goes clubbing, dancing and drinking). She meets a former lawyer who now makes smoothies, the ever-genial Greg Kinnear and…, of course.
There are a couple of twists that you may or may not guess which complicate friendships but that doesn’t really matter much to the enjoyment.
Some people who get concerned about stories with moral issues and behaviour that they do not approve of, for example, surrogacy, sex outside of marriage… (which we find here) and expect the stories to reflect ideal living rather than the messy emotional complications that people find themselves in. As I watched Baby Mama, I realised that I would recommend this film for moralists and ethicists to discuss conception, surrogacy, life and pregnancy issues because, in its humorous and rather sympathetic way, it raises the themes in the context in which the problems are lived rather than theorised about. And, with the positive attitudes towards babies, the film is extremely (though not in the political sense) pro-life.
1.An enjoyable American comedy? The focus on babies, children, mothers?
2.Philadelphia, the city, the contrast between rich and poor, shops and companies, offices? A credible context for this comedy? Musical score?
3.Women’s issues, the biological clock, pregnancy and career, marriage, conception, the impact of babies, gynaecological issues, in vitro fertilisation, partners for in vitro, surrogacy? Real issues in a real context? Ethical and moral issues?
4.The ethical and moral issues via comedy, feeling, and empathy for reflection? Story rather than theory?
5.Kate, Tina Fey’s screen presence? Her story? Thirty-seven, her successful career, vice-president, at meetings, seeing the adult men as children? Her office, seeing children in the lift, going home, her relationship with her mother, her mother’s put-downs? Caroline and her children, mess, noise, the phone calls to Caroline? The story of her past partner? Seeing him again at the party, his wife, children? The scene of her date, her explaining her interest in having children, the date fleeing and getting a taxi? The effect on her?
6.Going to the gynaecologist, the doctor, the criticism of her uterus? Her going to IVF agencies, the slides of potential fathers, the combination of slides? The IVF not taking?
7.Going to the surrogacy company, meeting Chaffee Bicknell, Sigourney Weaver and her style, her being pregnant, natural means, the visits and discussions with Chaffee, her later having the twins? Chic and costly?
8.Meeting with Angie and Carl, their visit, their behaviour in her house, interviews, talking with Angie, Angie making the decision? The procedure, the test, the good news for Kate? Her joy and anticipation of the baby?
9.Angie and her clash with Carl, the reasons, her walking out on him, coming to Kate’s apartment? The odd couple? Angie sleeping on the bed, eating and drinking all the wrong things, smoking, the karaoke, watching the TV and enjoying the jokes, sneaking food without Kate knowing? Going to the lessons and preparations for birth? The supervisor and her inability to pronounce the letter R? Kate seeing herself as superior to Angie and Angie realising this?
10.Kate and her attempts to prevent Angie spoiling the pregnancy? Mutual anger? Discussions? Kate at work, the VP responsible for the new building, Barry and his New Age antics, the plans, visiting the various sites, her meeting Rob and having the smoothie, talking with him? The discussion at the press conference? Rob and his questions? Barry and his erratic behaviour, moods, advice, praising Kate?
11.The truth about the fraud? Carl and his behaviour? Angie and getting the test, discovering that she actually was pregnant? The effect on her?
12.Oscar, the doorman, his relationship with Kate, his observations? Work, with Angie, talking with her, attracted to her, helping, reacting to the situations of the pregnancy? Helping Angie to make a moral decision?
13.Angie and getting Kate to let her hair down, dressing badly for the club, changing the dress, her dancing, drinking, her leaving and sending Angie home, going to see Rob?
14.Rob, as a character, as a lawyer, giving it all up, enjoying the shop, the poor business, asking questions on behalf of the residents of the company? Meeting Angie, Angie pretending to be Kate’s sister? Going out with Kate, enjoying it, the night together?
15.The baby shower, everybody there, Kate’s mother and Caroline? Carl, his arrival, the bluntness of telling the truth? The reactions?
16.Kate, her dismay? Attitude towards Angie? Going to court, the attitude of the judge and his tolerance? Rob coming to support Angie? Carl and his trying to intervene? The DNA test and the results?
17.Kate’s acceptance, the reconciliation? Angie giving birth, the baby, the joy, Kate fainting? The discovery that she was pregnant? Rob fainting?
18.The year later, the birthday party, everybody together and happy?
19.The pro-life stances of the film and its celebration of babies and children, of motherhood?
