Directed By:
Kirk Jones (Nanny McPhee)
Starring:
Elizabeth Banks, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, Ben Falcone, Matthew Morrison, Rodrigo Santoro, Dennis Quiad, Chris Rock
Rating: PG-13
for crude and sexual content, thematic elements and language
Synopsis:
Based on the best-selling pregnancy guide book of the same name, five different
couples who are related to each other in one way or another, each experience
different aspects of trying to have a baby.
REVIEW
Andrew:
Hello readers! Even though the weather outside is absolutely perfect for
sitting in the sun and grilling some burgers, Sarah and I hit up the theatre
yet again today to see the new ensemble comedy What To Expect When You’re Expecting. (Don’t worry, we’ll do the outside fun today, too.)
Sarah, when we spoke about this movie in our weekly preview
a few days ago I mentioned that I was curious to see how this compared to Rob
Marshall’s recent ensemble films Valentine’s Day and New
Year’s Eve. How do you think What To Expect When You’re Expecting
fared compared to those two?
Sarah: I
thoroughly enjoyed it! It was fun, it was funny, it was heartfelt, I feel that
the cast worked well together, and it even provoked a tear here or there. I
think it pretty much hit all the highs and lows of a fun movie! Did you have
fun watching it?
A: I
wouldn’t necessarily say that I had fun, because some of the things covered in
the movie were actually kind of sad, but overall I did enjoy the film for what
it was. There were plenty of times where I laughed (though I think most of the
funny parts were spoiled in trailers or commercials) and other times where I
was just happy with how certain events played out. So I’d say I liked it, yeah.
S: In all
these ensemble movies, they usually try to get all of the characters connected
somehow. I thought some of the connections were kind of weak, but I’m curious
to hear what you think.
A: I
actually think that it all worked for the most part, especially how Elizabeth
Banks (Zack & Miri Make a Porno) and Ben Falcone’s (Bridesmaids) characters related to Brooklyn Decker (Battleship) and Dennis
Quiad’s (The Parent Trap). Banks and Falcone seemed to be the primary couple to me and I think it
worked well. Decker did a much better job in this film than she did in
Battleship
and after seeing her in Just Go With It and now this, I
think she’d do well to stick to comedies.
 |
| Elizabeth Banks (left) and Brooklyn Decker play pregnant daughter-in-law and mother-in-law , and yes, in that order |
I would say the only relationship that I felt was a stretch
and should have been touched on more was Anna Kendrick’s (Up in the Air) relationship to anyone
in the film. She was almost a stand-alone arc until the very end, and hers felt
more forced than anyone else’s.
S: Yeah,
Kendrick’s was the one that stood out like a sore thumb to me, too. And in
second place was Cameron Diaz’s (There's Something About Mary) television fitness guru’s relationship to
Falcone’s Gary. It kinda came out of nowhere.
I will say my absolute favorite part of the movie was “The
Dudes.” That ensemble in and of itself worked so well together, that even
though they gave away a lot of the funny parts in the trailer, I still laughed
at every joke. It makes me hope that a group like that is something that
actually exists when we finally decide to have children! That would be awesome.
A: Agreed!
The four guys who comprise “The Dudes” are all very funny in their own right and
worked well together. Chris Rock (Grown-Ups) in particular stood out amongst them.
 |
| Alex (Santoro, right) is sent to The Dudes by his wife Holly (Lopez) to try and get him jazzed about adopting |
S: Another
plus for the film, in my eyes, was that some of the directions they took with
the character arcs I did not see coming. I won’t say exactly what they are but
I liked the range of the stories, who they affected, and how they were handled.
A: True. Ok,
now for a little negative point, I do feel that the movie was a little too long
and that’s because they had so many characters to work with. There were
stretches were some characters weren’t seen for long periods of time and I kind
of wondered what happened to them, but that’s a small quibble.
S: That
didn’t bother me so much. One of the things I liked about the movie is that it
covered almost every aspect you can have with having children. From the easy
pregnancy to the very difficult pregnancy, to adoption, to multiple children…it
really covered the gamut and I felt that was fun. It gave depth to the movie,
and it tied in with what the movie is loosely based on – the book. It really
showed that you can’t actually expect any one thing because every pregnancy is
different.
A: Good
point. Overall, for me, I’d say that I did enjoy What To Expect When You’re
Expecting and I feel that it handled all the different storylines well
(I especially liked Anna Kendrick’s), and I’ll actually say I liked this more
than Marshall’s two films. It’s not a great movie, but it’s not a bad one
either.
S: Yeah. I
will warn you, Readers, that if you or your loved one/significant other has
baby fever, that I would avoid this movie! There are some pretty adorable
children in it! And all in all it’s very heartwarming to the idea of having
children.
It was cute and I don’t regret seeing it. I’d say that it’s
a great way to kill an afternoon. Maybe try to catch it during a matinee. I
would definitely say What To Expect When You’re Expecting
is definitely a better overall movie than what we saw yesterday, would you
agree?
A: 100%
agreed. Though I will say that if you disliked Marshall’s two movies, definitely
skip this one.
 |
(Out of Five Clapboards)
|
S: My third-favorite Rogen film would have to be his 2007 rom-com, Knocked Up. Starring Rogen and Katherine Heigl, totally raunchy movie about a couple who, after a one-night stand, find themselves preggers seems like it would totally just be a movie about sex and drugs, be turns out to be a really heartwarming flick. For those of you who haven't seen it, Rogen's Ben is a witty slacker who lives in a house filled with a number of other guys played by famous comedians like Jason Segel, Jonah Hill and Jay Baruchel to name a few. This alone could create some hilarious hijinks, but then they throw in Judd Apatow's whole family and Paul Rudd and that just makes it all better. 
