Saturday Night Live alum Tiny Fey and Amy Poehler, her former Weekend Update co-anchor from the show, co-star in Baby Mama—a broad, easygoing comedy about surrogate motherhood that's a modern-day version of Diane Keaton's seminal '80s comedy Baby Boom.
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Tina Fey ( left ) and Amy Poehler in Baby Mama.
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Fey, the current star of TV's 30 Rock, plays Kate Holbrook, a 37-year-old career exec who wants a baby. Everywhere she goes she sees them ( leading to the first montage, one that includes a gay couple with their small fry ) , but Kate can't get past the first date because she desperately reveals to each prospect her desire for a baby; she also considers marriage a 'high-risk scenario.' Then she's told by a doctor that he 'doesn't like her uterus,' that her chance of conceiving are about one in a million. Lastly, her cranky, snobbish mother ( Holland Taylor ) warns her to not adopt a Black baby.
What's a gal to do?
Enter Sigourney Weaver as a high-priced, high-falutin' baby broker of sorts who connects Fey with a batch of potential surrogates. ( Cue the second montage. ) The most promising candidate turns out to be white-trash Angie ( Amy Poehler ) , whose womb is rarin' to go, and whose white-trash boyfriend, Carl ( Dax Shepard ) , is just as eager to get his hands on the big bucks Fey will pay for the privilege. ( Cue the third montage—this one set to the Diana Ross-Lionel Richie chestnut 'Endless Love'—for the 'implementation' scene. )
But complications abruptly ensue ( Don't they always? ) when Angie shows up unannounced at Kate's pied-á terre, bags in hand after breaking up with Carl. Kate, who is a finicky perfectionist, hadn't counted on the sloppy Angie as a roomie, and a series of Odd Couple-type sequences follow. Naturally, Angie will get Kate to loosen up and go nightclubbin'—and Kate will get Angie to think about something other than karaoke, junk food and sex.
In the midst of all this, Kate is busy trying to please the boss of Round Earth, the health-food company she works for. This overbearing narcissist is an insufferable 'zen-like' aging hippie who doesn't wear socks with his business suits, sports a ponytail and is played with comedic relish by Steve Martin. This unnamed character has deemed an untapped neighborhood in Philadelphia as the next perfect location for a Round Earth megastore and sends Kate to investigate and find a building. She discovers a juice bar ( called Super Fruity ) run by the friendly Rob ( Greg Kinnear ) , who gives her a rundown on the area. But when Round Earth announces its plans, a neighborhood coalition headed by Rob protests—so, naturally, ideological opposites will personally attract and, soon, Kate and Rob will fall for each other a la You've Got Mail.
Many more plot twists—most of them expected—come into play before the expected 'my water just broke/dash to the hospital' finish. In addition to Poehler, who has no trouble getting laughs as usual, Romany Malco ( who plays Oscar, Fey's wise-ass doorman ) offers good support. And—with her glasses, real-woman curves, innate wit and intelligence—Fey is a desperately needed addition to the movies: a Diane Keaton for the YouTube generation.
Baby Mama—which was written not by Fey but by its director, Michael McCullers—is awfully familiar. Yet, the movie—forgive me—delivers its laughs without audiences having to go into labor to get them. It's gentler than what has become standard comedic fare, and the comedy is not so graphic or mean-spirited—definitely plusses. It all adds up to a great date movie and, maybe, some real-life future baby mamas.
Film Notes:
—Though it is sad to learn that Roger Ebert, dean of popular American film critics, has yet to recover his voice after a series of surgeries and won't be back on TV with At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper anytime soon, it is good to know that he is returning to writing reviews on a regular basis. And Ebertfest, his annual film fest of overlooked movies, is taking place April 23-April 27 in Champaign on the University of Illinois campus, Ebert's alma mater. As usual, Ebert has chosen a stellar slate of terrific movies.
Three that are not to be missed are the Fri., April 25, 10 p.m. screening of director Paul Schrader's Mishima: A Life in Four Parts, his exquisitely rendered 1985 film ( complete with Philip Glass score ) about the gay Japanese writer. Schrader and Mishima production designer Eiko Ishioka ( who won an Oscar for her amazing Dracula costumes ) will be in attendance. Second, fellow University of Illinois alum Ang Lee, director of the gay-themed Wedding Banquet and an Oscar winner for Brokeback Mountain, will talk about his offbeat blockbuster The Hulk after a Sat., April 26, screening.
Lastly, director Bill Forsyth and actress Christine Lahti will discuss the underrated Housekeeping, a film set in the 1950s. Lahti plays free spirit Aunt Sylvie, whose unconventional ideas alternately tantalize, frighten and open new worlds to her two nieces. The 1987 film, with its meditative score by Michael Gibbs and decided feminist bent, is one of those small miracles that comes along so rarely in the movies. It screens Sat., April 26, at 7:30 p.m. Many of the screenings are sold out but there are still single screening tickets to be had. www.ebertfest.com
—Here's another reminder that both seasons one and two of the Rosie O'Donnell executive-produced Big Gay Sketch Show arrive ( separately ) on DVD Tues., April 29. Season two cast member Colman Domingo, noted for his impersonations of Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou, was a recent guest on Windy City Queercast. Also, look for an interview with another cast member, Paolo Andino, to run in Windy City Times soon.
Check out my archived reviews at www.windycitytimes.com or www.knightatthemovies.com . Readers can leave feedback at the latter Web site, where there is also ordering information on my book of collected film reviews, Knight at the Movies 2004-2006.
