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Visitors Review

Ed 2013-05-25 03:30:40

A Deafening Biological Clock

There is a smattering of smart laughs in this 2008 comedy, but first-time director Michael McCullers really plods his own coincidence-driven script along with little sense of style or dramatic resonance. At times, it feels no better than a formulaic romantic comedy from the 1960’s usually starring small-screen celebrities trying to break into the big time. Sure enough, this time, we are offered Tina Fey (currently of NBC’s “30 Rock”) and Amy Poehler, former “Saturday Night Live” Weekend Update co-anchors and definitely the cream of the current funny lady crop. The problem is that McCullers, a one-time SNL staff writer who also co-wrote the Austin Powers movies with Mike Myers, doesn’t elevate the screenplay much beyond the limited dimensions of an extended comedy sketch. That puts most of the pressure on the two women to make this farce work as a distaff version of “The Odd Couple” with a pregnancy angle, and they often - you should pardon the expression - deliver.Ideally cast with her smart, bespectacled looks, Fey plays 37-year-old Kate Holbrook, single and professional successful as the VP of an upscale organic supermarket chain much like Whole Foods. She hears her biological clock ticking and is taking every step possible to have a baby. Her last straw is to pay an agency $100,000 to find a surrogate. Naturally, her polar opposite shows up as the ideal candidate - a junk-food-eating, Red Bull-swilling piece of white trash named Angie Ostrowski who comes with her money-drubbing boyfriend Carl. Kate is so desperate she is practically begging Angie to carry her egg, so Angie willingly accepts. Somehow, the women end up living together during the pregnancy and inevitably get on each other’s nerves, more Angie on Kate’s nerves since a few revelations threaten to upend the deal. Convenience appears to trump logic in tying up the plot’s loose ends, of which there are many. However, McCullers’ alternately sauntering and piercing Judd Apatow-like approach helps compensate for the bigger lapses.A game cast also helps. Although fairly limited as an actress, Fey is sharp and likable as the often dour Kate and has the ability to bring the implausibility of her character’s situation into more human focus. Even though she is entirely too old for her role, Poehler is a more natural comic presence as Angie, terrifically manic but surprisingly poignant during key moments. It’s obvious their joint casting has more to do with their proven rapport than dramatic credibility. In a turn worthy of Jeff Foxworthy, Dax Shepard credibly makes Carl a mercenary sheep. Romany Malco (memorable as Andy’s horned-up co-worker in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) is given little to do as the streetwise doorman, the same fate of Maura Tierney bland as Kate’s supportive sister. Greg Kinnear must be getting awfully tired playing the same type of romantic foil over and over again, but he does do it well even though his scenes also seem strangely truncated. Two veterans threaten to steal the picture in acts of petty larceny - a pony-tailed Steve Martin very funny as Kate’s Zen-seeking boss whose idea of a reward is allowing her to stare at him for five minutes, and Sigourney Weaver as the overtly self-satisfied and all-too-fertile head of the agency. SNL regulars Will Forte and Fred Armisen show up in cameos. A fitfully funny farce.

2013-05-24 13:39:04

Baby Mama DVD

This review is from: Baby Mama (DVD) Baby Mama is a good gift for a teenager..funny, entertaining and will be viewed over and over...

2013-05-13 14:48:24

It does have a happy ending!

Okay, Baby Mama won't be a front-runner for next year's Oscars. It isnot why I wanted to see it. I love Tina Fey and Amy Poehler fromSaturday Night Live. Fey plays 37 year old successful single childlesswoman who realizes her time clock is running out. She tries infertilitytreatments and adoption before she turns to a surrogate agency run byOscar nominee Sigourney Weaver who is popping babies naturally withouta surrogate for her. Fey's character Kate Holbrook hires poor whitetrash Angie O. to be her surrogate. Poehler plays her to the hilt withboth laughs and even sympathy. You really feel for Angie at somemoments in the film despite that she is not really a sympatheticcharacter but a smart con artist. Angie's common-law husband Carl dumpsher and Angie moves in with Kate where the real fun starts. The filmhas a first rate cast featuring the great James Rebhorn as a judge, thedynamic Holland Taylor as Kate's mother, Greg Kinnear as the possiblelove interest, Steve Martin as the bizarre boss, Maura Tierney asKate's married sister and mother, Saturday Night Live Alums likeSiobhan Fallon Hogan as the birthing coach; Fred Armisen as the sellerof baby strollers; Will Forte as Scott, Kate's one-time boyfriend.

2013-05-12 23:18:57

This movie stunk!!!

I watched this lastnight (thank gosh it was a redbox for a dollar) I thought it would so much more funny and it was awful. The story itself was good but just not funny.

Robyn N 2013-03-28 05:23:53

laughed out loud too many times

go see if you wanna cheer yourself up. Tina fey is a comedic genius, I love her! Story line is just ok.

2013-03-27 21:59:52

A Good Laugh

I work at Blockbuster Video so I see all the new releases before they come out. I just recently watched this one and I feel that it didn't waste an hour and a half or so of my life. I felt Baby Mama was an enjoyable movie. I would never put it on my top ten list, but it had truly comedic moments. The acting was good, and the characters were memorable.When asked by customers at work, I will recommend this movie. You won't feel like you've wasted $4.88(That's the cost of a NR right now) of your hard earned money. I wouldn't buy this movie to put into my collection though.

2013-03-22 04:08:34

Such a dissapointing, sexist film

Not sure why I would think that a film called Baby Mama would be thoughtfully entertaining. I don't know. I guess was under the impression that Tina Fey is smart and witty (maybe she really can only make this work in television time) and BC graduate Amy Poehler can add a savvy spin to material. The film has a few chuckles but quickly steers itself straight into the safe funny zone. The stereotypically safe funny zone. You know women single and over 35 must be super successful "career women" and have given up on any sort of social life. All women want children. The whole infertility thing is just hysterical and so is pregnancy and giving birth, while we think of it. The jokes are so tired. And you've seen them before. I'm not a major fan of 30 Rock but I've enjoyed some of the episodes and thought Tina Fey might be a little different. She does make the successful single woman stylish at times on that show. Though even there you see the jokes from Alec Baldwin about her being a lesbian because she's wearing pants or because she's over 30 and single. Oh, it's OVER honey. I like to think that I've been picky. I have a brain. I have a heart. I use both in making my decisions. Sure, sometimes I want a guy to be there for me all the time but why do I feel like a failure at times because there isn't one? I have never had any male friends say that they don't expect to meet anyone or that they've "given up on dating." No, it's only my girlfriends who have careers. The ones who have families have already had the boyfriend/husband. I've been doing what I want to do for the past decade and not had to decide what someone else thinks. Not everyone needs to be part of a couple or to have a family to be considered successful. Oh, I'm joking. Of course you have to check all those things off your list or you're a real loser. Who doesn't know that? I spend enough time in therapy. And I'm being so sarcastic, in case you didn't figure it out. Yet sadly our American society does think that these are the things a woman must do. She has to have the career, marriage and family or there's just something off, something wrong, something, oh horrors, different about her.

2013-03-21 10:16:06

Comedic Timing, on screen chemistry, a little drawn out

I saw this in the theaters with some friends and we had a great time. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler clearly have a working relationship and great on screen chemistry. The film echoed some of the challenges career women have and the on screen setting in Philadelphia resonated with me, as I am in the Tri-State area. The plot was a bit like "You've Got Mail", in that big business comes to kick small business' butt, but other than that it stood its ground as a funny, relevant comedy. While the acting was a bit over the top for all characters it matched the "happy go lucky" music and tone throughout the movie, so it was bearable.I loved all performances by the actors, and the interlacing of current or former SNL actors was cool. The end was cute, and I was rooting for both Fey and Poehler's character which made the flick engaging for me. There were a scenes I laughed out loud, and the flick definitely has a "rewatch" factor. Picture and Sound both were clear on the Blu-Ray.I gave this 4 stars instead of 5, due to some of the over the top acting, and because I think the film could have been "wrapped up" sooner. It seems it was extended unnecessarily, and I remember looking at my watch in the theater. If you love chick flicks, this one's worth a rent, to see Fey and Poehler interact on screen, and it's a good time, with a couple of girlfriends.

firepants49343 2013-03-19 20:33:36

One giant SNL skit.

I wouldn't say this totally sucked, but if it wasn't for Netflix Iwouldn't even have this in my house. Steve Martin's eccentric presidentof a chain of health food stores falls flat. He's just not funny. He'sanother in a LONG slew of SNL rejects that can only find work whoringthemselves to the next SNL movie. The birthing coach with the ElmerFudd lisp is about as funny as it is original. Amy Poehler simply goesthrough the same motions she would for a 7 minute SNL skit which isabout as funny as SNL lately. The only thing going for this movie isthat Tina Fey is easy on the eyes. The ending was predictable as soonas you heard her character couldn't get pregnant. The subject mattercould have opened up to other comedic attempts, but it seems to simplesimmer along, not really entertaining or creating laughs.

Josh B 2013-03-19 04:32:25

Tina Fey + Amy Poehler = hilarious movie

Baby Mama was a hilarious movie. But ofcourse it would be, the movie has the SNL comedians tina fey and amy poehler. If you like SNL you will absolutely like this movie. It is about a hard-worker women (tina fey) who supposedly can't get pregnant. She hires a hillbilly serroget (amy poehler) who her husband and her were first in it for the money. But that changes throught the movie as they hillbillies get divorced. I won't tell you the whole story but amy poehler's baby in the movie is actually hers not tina's. And theres something else that happens at the end. This movie is hilarious. Go check it out.

2013-03-16 18:28:53

3.5--Place Two Talented Mama's with One Mediocre Film doesn't really Add Up

To its credit, "Baby Mama" is not your typical one-joke movie starring "Saturday Night Live" alums. It's more of a one-and-a-half joke movie. In "Mama", Tina Fey's OCD career woman, unable to conceive and unwilling to wait for an adoption, hires Amy Poehler's ADD surrogate mother to carry her baby. How will this odd couple survive nine months together? With hilarious results, of course. Well, moderately hilarious, at least, thanks in large part to its two seriously talented comedic leads. This contemporary comedy draws our attention to the business of babies. It does so however in such a hackneyed fashion that if it weren't for the talented mama's at the forefront of it all, it would be little more than a painful delivery.Personally I feel that "Mama" is written, with one contrivance too many, by Michael McCullers who co-wrote the last two "Austin Powers" movies. Mr. McCullers makes his directorial debut here but, even at 96 minutes, "Mama" eventually runs awfully thin. There are certainly some good moments, particularly when the two leads are given time to riff off each other. Ms. Poehler, in particular, is given a wide berth (pun intended). Ms. Fey however, so winning on the small screen, is put to the test here. As the consummate straight-woman, her range (and the script) is too limited to inject any real depth into the material. "Mama" treats the sensitivity of its topic with kid gloves - it's missing Ms. Fey's deft comic hand (the one that has made "30 Rock", against all odds, one of the best comedy on television). Even 1987's similarly-themed Diane Keaton vehicle "Baby Boom" held more weight. Even without a gestation specialist.Like I said before Michael McCullers made the comedy here far too broad and predictable, robbing the talented actors of anything with which to play. I don't know if someone at Saturday Night Live had a surrogate, but that idea certainly was kicking around the set. I would recommended this film only if you have a few lazy days put aside.

bob the moo 2013-03-16 14:58:47

The cast and some great laughs more or less carry the slightly misjudged tone that the whole thing has

Kate Holbrook is a single professional female who has risen high in herchosen career but, now in her late thirties, she has found that someaspects of her life have passed her by - specifically motherhood. Shetries everything to achieve this but, with her options exhausted sheturns to a service offering surrogate mothers. Through this Kate meetsthe rather less classy Angie and an agreement is struck however, asKate's doorman Oscar knowingly observes, you cannot have a baby mamawithout baby mama drama.We watched Baby Mama shortly after my partner had selected The HouseBunny and I was hoping that it would be a better film that I would beable to enjoy rather than feeling myself picking at it while watchingit as had happened with House Bunny. I mention this lesser film becauseit was interesting to see how one of the points I had made about HouseBunny was also true about Baby Mama - although in a good way. For HouseBunny it was clear that it was simply not funny enough to allow theaudience to forgive it for the all the problems that it has and that ifit had produced consistent and good laughs from me that I probablywouldn't have minded or noticed so much of the rest of it. Baby Mamaconnects to that point because that is exactly what happens here - theproblems with the film are almost given a free pass because it deliverson the laughter front and is like a 6-6 draw in a football (soccer)match - plenty of problems and errors, not totally satisfying in someregards but still managed to entertain the majority of people.Baby Mama manages to do this on several fronts but it all begins with ascript that has some great lines and exchanges. The cast then get theseand deliver them really well and in particular a lot of the exchangesbetween Kate and Angie are very funny indeed. This is helped by greatturns from Fey and, in particular, Poehler, who is really good in herdelivery. Smaller characters add comedy in different ways whether it beKinnear's amusing but unobtrusive turn as the love interest (necessaryfor the plot but never feeling like he is merely a plot device) orSteve Martin proving that, when he tries, he can still manage to befunny. Weaver also is funny for the small amount she has to do whileShepard and Malco both turns in unremarkable characters on paper butmake them funny. All of these pull together to produce sufficient andconsistent enough laughs to end up with a film that you will leaveremembering as entertaining.There is a disconnect between the film of the script and the actors andthe one that has been put together in post-production though and it isto the detriment of the film. The film is at its best when it is sharpand funny but for some reason the structure of the film appears to beplaying to a blander romantic comedy. The score is the worst - reallybland and really badly misjudged. All too frequently funny material isaccompanied by slightly "quirky/goofy" music that cheapens it a littlebecause the material is often good enough to stand up on its own.Similarly we have this dinky "romantic comedy incidental 101" musicthat is played during any scene that is less driven by laughs and moreimportant to the plot. Neither works well and it gives the film thisweird feel that doesn't sit with the comedy in the script or the typeof film that the cast are making.Fortunately the film is strong enough to carry this off in spite of it.Fey and Poehler are great value and deliver on the laughs in thescript, while all the rest of the starry cast deliver when called upon.OK so the music and pitching of the tone are off-key but it producedplenty of good laughs for me and I left it having enjoyed myself, whichis all I really wanted from it.

Moviefreak4653 2013-02-23 19:49:55

Funny and most definitely entertaining

I had mild expectations for Baby Mama like it looked like it would notbe as funny as i would have thought, and the humor would be kindaunfunny and just tasteless, well i was wrong.I found Baby Mama to benone of those things for it had fresh comedy and good acting.In factTina Fey and Amy Pohler may be the next big thing in Hollywood comedy,which i hope happens.Like the film they both were so entertaining andfunny to watch, and had nice and cool character structure.Thought attimes the story seemed a little out there and some stuff in the plotwas a little predictable its still a good film.Overall everybody shouldsee this film if they are wanting a good laugh, and they didn't showall the funny parts in the previews.So go out and watch Baby Mamabecause its worth anyones time and money, and you will be glad you haveseen it. 7.7 out of 10 stars

Joseph Belanger 2013-02-23 05:19:03

Talented Mama's, Mediocre Material

This one's for the ladies! Here we have one woman, Kate Holbrook (TinaFey), who cannot get pregnant and then enlists another woman, AngieOstrowiski (Amy Poehler) as her surrogate, or in the more contemporarysense, as her BABY MAMA. Angie leaves her dope of a common-law partnerand moves in with Kate and the two go from cat fighting to slumberparties in no time. They're having babies; they're talking boys;they're singing along to Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" inthe living room. The estrogen practically slinks off the screen instilettos. If only this expectant comedy didn't deliver such expectedresults. The female bonding originates with Fey & Poehler's offscreen friendshipand makes for some fabulous chemistry and spontaneous hilarity but itnever successfully hides the gaping story holes. Having paid anexorbitant amount of money to a firm that screens its surrogatesthoroughly should have essentially eliminated Angie as an option, asshe has no functional understanding of what it means to take good careof herself. Before long, perhaps to intentionally rattle us from theunoriginal unfolding of the odd couple one would ordinarily expect,Angie's intentions come into question in such a manner that it becomespractically impossible to continue letting the good times just go on.Good clean fun is replaced by awkward angst.This contemporary comedy draws our attention to the business of babies.It does so however in such a hackneyed fashion that if it weren't forthe talented mama's at the forefront of it all, it would be little morethan a painful delivery.

2013-02-19 15:28:27

It may not be as smart as it thinks it is, but it's a lot funnier than you'd expect...

I may be a little bias going into this, since I personally find Amy Poehler to be one of the funniest comedic actresses working today, but I honestly loved this movie. My wife and I are huge fans of these two SNL girls, and so we were very anxious to see this movie, and I have to say that it did not fail to keep me entertained. Yes, `Baby Mama' lived up to my every expectation; and while the film tries at times to be more than it needs to be it still manages to be every bit as funny as it claims to be.The film tells us of single middle-aged Kate who is a successful businesswoman deprived of the life she's always wanted because she was so determined to get to the top before she started a family. Now, she's well into her thirties and is feeling that sharp kick in her stomach where her unborn child should be. Despite the fact that she is single and has no man in mind to father this child she decides that now is the best time to have that baby. When adoption and artificial insemination prove themselves `not happening' she turns to Chaffee Bicknell and her surrogate service.Enter Angie Ostrowiski.Angie wants Kate to put her baby inside her, and so she does. No sooner can Angie say "I'm pregnant" and Kate's world is tossed upside down when Angie shows up on her doorstep, homeless after a breakup with her common-law husband Carl. Kate is at first excited and then devastated as she realizes that adjusting to Angie is possibly harder than adjusting to a newborn. The film is hilarious from start to finish, thanks in large part to the undeniable chemistry between Poehler and Fey. Both of them have different yet complimentary styles of comedy, and so they work so well with and off each other that they carry this film scene after scene. But not only can they work off one another, but they work off the rest of the cast in various ways. Fey's romantic relationship with Kinnear is not only believable, it is touching and sweet; and Poehler's knock down drag out relationship with Shepard is hilarious. Fey also has a great vibe going with Steve Martin, who plays her eccentric boss Barry. Fey understands how to play uncomfortable without being awkward. Sigourney Weaver is priceless as Chaffee and Romany Malco has some very touching moments with Poehler.Sure, the film tries at times to deliver a message and it doesn't quite manage to bring that message to fruition, but it doesn't really matter. First and foremost this is a comedy, and as that it soars. You might want to wear an extra pair of underwear for this one; because when it hits it hits hard.

Sirus_the_Virus 2013-02-19 02:13:49

I was surprised.

Baby mama is the first SNL production since Mean girls, also written byTina Fey. Baby mama is a funny movie, but it doesn't really have asmuch laughs as that movie did. I have liked most of the SNL films.Wayne's world, Wayne's world 2, A night at the roxbury, Mean girls,Baby Mama. All funny films.The thing that I liked the most about Baby mama is the two leads. Ihave always liked Tina Fey and Amy Phoeler. And it's good seeing themtogether. These are two unlikely roles for them. The movie is kind ofunlikely too.Fey stars as a woman who is desperately trying to have kids. Butunfortunately she can't. So she hires a surrogate(played by AmyPhoeler)who is trailer trash and messes up her life kind of. And well,you can kind of see what happens.Though predictable, Baby mama works in it's way. The movie worksbecause of it's actors. Steve Martin makes an appearance as Tina Fey'sboss. He looks a little stupid. That is probably the point. Phoeler andFey are always likable. That's mostly why you should see this movie.Baby mama:***/****

Amanda 2013-02-13 16:01:08

I really liked it.

It was really funny. My husband went with me to see it and he liked it also. Steve Martin adds a great amount of humor to this movie. He has some of the best lines. I will buy this movie when it comes out on DVD.

ciarra-1 2013-02-12 22:53:58

Excellent "Go In And Enjoy Yourself" Movie

For those of us who love to just go watch a movie without worryingabout who is doing this to that person, and reading about this critiqueand if we should be watching for this or that. THIS is the movie foryou.I loved the comedy, the one liners, the small jokes that if you don'tpay attention you'll miss them, but they are there. But if you're thereand wanting to pick apart everything in the movie, you are going tomiss all the comedy that's there for you to see.Just go in and enjoy yourself, the chemistry between all these actorsis great, and why pay the money if you're not going to have fun. Comeon people, for once, don't go in there and sit looking for something totake apart...look for something to just have fun with and this moviewill give it to you.We laughed all the way through, there were tiny little things and bigthings all the way. This was a really good movie and all of us who wenttogether had a lot of fun watching it. A BIG thumbs up!

2013-01-27 16:02:44

Nice try, could have been much better.

I wouldn't say I terribly enjoyed this movie. At some point, I was going to stop watching it, but I wanted to see the ending, which was pretty predictable for me. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are talented actresses, but were very week in this movie. I only blame the director, who is normally in charge in getting the best out of the main characters. Also the post production have a quite few flaws in editing, by not removing extra frames, right after the director calls "Action". Steve Martin was a total waste, the producers could have saved some money by hiring someone new, who is starting his career. Some scenes are missing in the script, like for example a romantic and the same time funny episodes in bed, between Greg Kinnear and Tina Fey, where Greg is reaching for a protection and Fey reveals that no need to do so, since she can not get pregnant. It was a nice change to switch from action movies, (90% new releases today) to a comedy, that I miss so much.

2013-01-27 06:27:47

All in all, a pretty decent movie

It is a bit of a commentary on how few good comedies there have been in the past couple of years that this is, bizarrely, one of the best comedies of 2008. I'm tempted to chase a rabbit and ask precisely why Hollywood has gotten so bad at producing good comedies (though I suspect it has something to do with so many emulating the terrible comedies of the Apatow combine), but I'll instead say that while this is not at all a bad movie, it shouldn't have qualified as one of the best comedies of the year, though it did. All in all this was a fun, enjoyable film. It is just that there should have been many others as good or better.I've seen over the years many of the Second City shows here in Chicago. Although the shows I've seen have featured many, many men and women who have enjoyed a great deal of success in comedy, on TV, or on film, in fact I can remember only three performers from the shows I've attended. First and foremost I remember Steve Carrell, especially his hysterical impersonation of Fabio. Second, I remember Stephen Colbert. Third, I remember Tina Fey. Interestingly, while I remember well Tina Fey, I do not remember Amy Poehler, although I definitely saw her. Still, it is great to see two of the people I saw together in a film, even if I remember only one of them.This is good, but it isn't as good as Tina Fey's main gig these days, 30 ROCK. There are some good moments in the film, but few great ones. Both Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were persistently funny, and there was also some humorous moments featuring Steve Martin, but while the film was good, I kept thinking about how upsetting it was that there weren't better comedies this past year. It all makes me wonder if 2008 wasn't one of the least funny years in the history of Hollywood. 2008 has, however, to go down as a great year for Tina Fey. In addition to her success on BABY MAMA, Tina went from success to success thanks to 30 ROCK, which was clearly the best comedy on television, and has a host of awards to prove it. She also won the Emmy for Best Actress. But her most valuable public service might have been in permanently deflating the hopes of Sarah Palin to be taken seriously by the American people. As one of the least substantial political figures in decades, Palin was extremely vulnerable to receiving her public comeuppance, but it was Fey who delivered it in the most devastating impersonation in recent (or for that matter distant) memory. If America hadn't given up on Palin earlier, they surely did the second that Fey, as Palin, proclaimed "Now it's time for some fancy pageant walking." How can Palin ever talk about foreign policy when Fey's words that "I can see Russia from my house" ring in our ears? I don't remember a comedian single-handedly ending the political career of a politician so completely (and yes, Sarah Palin's career is over -- if ever she tries to run for anything above governor of Alaska, Tina Fey will just trot out some more parodies and take care of that).So, while 2008 was definitely the year of Fey, it wasn't a great year for film comedy. Nor was BABY MAMA the best place to see her strut her stuff. That would either be her Palin impersonations on SNL (along with Amy Poehler's unforgettable rap alongside the real Palin when the latter declined). Hopefully 2009 will show a rebound of the film comedy. As things stand, BABY MAMA is unfortunately about as good as we have for 2008.