The calamity of Bruce Willis as baby Mikey in ‘Look Whos Talking’ aside, not since the 1988 cult favourite ‘She’s Having A Baby’ in which Kevin Bacon came to terms with the trials and tribulations of impending parenthood, has a film been so wonderfully poignant about the magical joys aligned with atrocities associated with childbirth.
An essential self-help parenting book for over thirty years, the multiple best-selling birthing compendium shouldn’t work as a basis for screen adaptation.
Surprisingly it does
From conception to delivery, an array of light hearted details regarding bodily mishaps and changes are described graphically, providing an instant education for those who may have never experienced labour pains. The focus is on five couples that are so synchronized that four of them give birth and one of them adopts all on the very same day. Those with protruding bellies include a television fitness trainer announcing the happy moment by displaying the effects of morning sickness live to air after winning a dance contest and a breastfeeding expert promoting her book with a tell all description of the pitfalls of pregnancy people don’t talk about. Still the stallion, Dennis Quaid plays a former race car driver proud of his ability to conceive with a much younger wife, while there is also a young couple from rival food truck vendors that sleep together once only to fall pregnant causing dire consequences.
Australian Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids) is embarrassingly amusing as Janice. The good, bad and yes all the ugly stages of pregnancy are covered leading up to that final visit where Cameron Diaz as Jules wins the screaming contest of Push-Push-Push shaking the hospital foundations. In contrast, young trophy wife Skyler (Brooklyn Decker of ‘Battleship’) simply sneezes to gracefully give birth to twins.Saturdays walking in the park is where the boys get together to participate in the ‘dudes group’. Chris Rock as Vic, is a standout among the male cast. An off the cuff chatterbox, he leads the pram pushing pack with all the answers when it comes to what to say, not to say and comply to keep the union of marriage resilient after a newborn comes along. New member Alex (Rodrigo Santoro of television show ‘Lost’) is told to keep a Fight Club style vigil by keeping everything mentioned within the group to himself, he doesn’t and faces the daddy wrath.
Against all odds, I quite enjoyed this cheerful comedy with its galaxy of stars, however as one of the few males within a full cinema and hearing the uproarious reaction of the ladies around me, this is a sure-fire winning chick-flick.
What to Expect When You’re Expecting is now playing in theaters.
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