Friday, June 6, 2008

Movie No. 9: "Baby Mama"

I had a bad feeling at the start of "Baby Mama." The first 15 minutes are everything that Tina Fey's comedy "30 Rock" usually isn't: stale and really poorly paced. It seemed sloppy and flabby, in need of scenes trimmed a few seconds earlier and laughs that hit a bit harder -- or at all.

Then Amy Poehler entered the picture.

Poehler plays the trashy surrogate to Tina Fey's well-put-together corporate executive on the rise. The film is mostly about them becoming friends during the pregnancy, with a few predictable (and one rather surprising) twist thrown in along the way.

"Baby Mama" isn't a great film, but the interaction between Fey and Poehler makes it a watchable one. The SNL vets play off each other well, and with the exception of a couple of lines from Dax Shepard, most of the laughs come when the film's stars are sharing the screen.

It lacks the sharpness of a film like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," but as a matinee or a night curled up on the couch after it is released on DVD, it should offer a suitable amount of entertainment. C+

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I just saw this. I agree the beginning is flat and then it gets better ... BUT the ending was such a cop out it ruined the entire thing for me.

Steve Martin was pretty funny, though.