Search - BABY MAMA FF/WS W/FRAME (DVD/GWP) on DVD

Coulda, woulda, shoulda been funnier and more entertaining

terpfan1980 | Somewhere near Washington DC, United States | 09/13/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Another reviewer notes this is a very average comedy and I whole-heartedly agree with that sentiment. Yet again, I find that Lorne Michaels and the SNL crew just can't seem to deliver good, solid, entertainment. (If you've seen my scathing review of Hot Rod, which apparently offended more than a few readers, you'd know I'm not terribly impressed with the creative team at SNL...)

Let me say that this isn't a bad film, certainly no where near as bad as the pretty weak Hot Rod, but it was no where near as funny as it could have been, or as other films with similar stories have been in the past. For example, my wife loves the movie Paternity, and as something similar, I'd definitely rate it much more solidly above Baby Mama.

The concept is solid enough, and Amy Poehler gets in some funny lines and brazen behavior that is amusing, but the results in the final product seem, well, quite average. The story is predictable and even with distractions like Steve Martin's performance where he seems to be channeling some of the J. Peterman character from Seinfeld, the laughs just don't come as freely as they should.

I put this one into the 'rent it' category for sure. Go in with low expectations and you shouldn't be disappointed, but if you expect too much, you'll probably be left unfulfilled."

Disappointingly Sophomoric

Danielle Turchiano | Van Nuys, CA United States | 09/03/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Whether it's her surprisingly refreshing take on a novel about modern day teenagers (Mean Girls) or snarky one-liners about today's news (SNL's Weekend Update), Tina Fey has become known for delivering on-screen the dialogue she previously wrote behind the scenes. Paired up with her Update partner in crime, Amy Poehler, and the two should be unstoppable because as quippy with just a touch of absurdity, Fey's writing somehow always manages to be both relevant and laugh out-loud funny. Unfortunately her turn as a perpetually single career woman desperate for a child of her own in Michael McCullers' Baby Mama is neither of those things. Perhaps Fey just wanted to prove she could relinquish some control with Baby Mama, or perhaps her real life baby kept her from wearing too many hats on this project, but in either case, the lackluster result cries out for her attention like any newborn.

Fans of Fey and Poehler from their SNL days, or even more recent projects like 30 Rock and Hamlet 2 respectively, will want to give Baby Mama a shot just to see their girls back on-screen as a duo. But fans who expect anything more than a warm smile or a meek chuckle will be sorely disappointed. Baby Mama is a female buddy comedy written by a man and within the studio system, which may explain why Fey and Poehler's natural chemistry gets buried by stereotypical Felix and Oscar gags. When Fey's Kate learns she has a one in a million chance of getting pregnant, she looks for a surrogate, and despite her anal retentively immaculate apartment and Ivy league-esque persona, she still hires the free-spirited, messy, tells-it-like-it-is Angie (Poehler). The two embark on a friendship of opposites that would never have taken place but for the check that was being passed between the two, and sadly that fact never lingers too far from the audience's minds, making the union feel that much more forced. Had the two women found they actually had more in common once they got to know each other, the story wouldn't have been saved, but it would have been better. Instead, though, McCullers forces lessons down the audience's throats: how the women learn from each other--one to calm down and one to grow up--and in the process, they learn how to be mothers. Too sappy to truly be real, and if there's any question about that, just wait for the end when once again the Hollywood ending breaks through any cynicism to prove the impossible can happen... in the movies.

Oddly, McCullers' men aren't any more believable than his women in Baby Mama. Each one (from Greg Kinnear to Dax Shepard, and even Steve Martin) is hapless in his own way, and while goofiness can be cute in doses, these are men who are as immature as children. Instead of building up the characters, McCullers seems to rely on the timeliness of his film, incorporating countless pop culture references (Jamba Juice; American Idol karaoke) that are so oversaturated, they feel more like product placement than just typical elements of everyday life. It appears Baby Mama tries to pick up where Mean Girls left off: a witty, slice of life, character connection film, but like the aging party girl that Kate appears when Angie drags her out to a club, it just appears tired, overcompensating, and out of place among the actually hip crowd.

The bonus features on the DVD release include an audio commentary with McCullers, his two stars, and Executive Producer Lorne Michaels, who can't get a word in edgewise between Fey and Poehler's wisecracks (they sounds oddly pent-up, as if they wanted to release all that funny on-set but were restrained) and the director's incessant need to pipe in with technical knowledge (as if to prove he really does know what he's doing). There are also the obligatory deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and a making-of featurette ("From Conception to Delivery") that once again proves the stars' knack for comedy was wasted in the feature.
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