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Baby Mama

Tiny Fey has become a national phenomenon and with her rise to fame on NBC’s 30 Rock, stemming from her roots on Saturday Night Live, most notably the "Weekend Update" section. She’s a bit of an acquired taste, but has a sort of zany and uncanny brilliance to her comedy in which she primarily does her own writing (most of the time). For this reason, I felt a little betrayed when I learned that Baby Mama was not penned by her, rather instead by its director, Michael McMullers.

Baby Mama delves into the life of single 37-year-old successful businesswoman, Kate Holbrook (Fey), who has dreams and aspirations of having a child. After she learns the devastating news that she is infertile, Holbrook seeks a surrogate. To our “surprise” as in all movies, the lucky surrogate is Angie Ostrowiski (Amy Poehler), the definition of uneducated trailer park trash. From here their vastly different personalities clash as they are both used to completely different lifestyles.

Not to say that Fey can’t act, but she’s pretty much her generic self as seen on TV. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing as if you like her on NBC then you shouldn’t be disappointed with her performance here. Poehler is literally the polar opposite as she possesses the education of a seven-year-old and her immaturity and stupidity just runs rampant. The on screen chemistry between the two really makes for a nice contrast which is held constant throughout the film.

Even many notable side characters make some dazzling appearances such as Steve Martin, Greg Kinnear, and Sigourny Weavor; all excellent and make great contributions, taking the pressure off of Fey and Poehler, which doesn’t allow the comedy to get stale.

Sometimes in movies, the trailer reveals everything. Here, the trailer is far from it as the story has these unexpected subplots that are of the devious and unethical nature. It makes the story a little bit more interesting and definitely isn’t expected going into the theater, but it makes this simple comedy a little too serious at certain junctures. I certainly appreciate the effort, but it was a little distracting and made this short but sweet comedy seem just a hair too long.

For the small demographic that likes Fey’s bland humor, it’s worth a watch. Everyone in the cast brings something to the table and delivers a few chuckles along the way.

Written by: John Berkowitz

Reviewers Rating: 6
Reader's Rating: 1.00
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