CINEMA: Baby Mama

Oh no! Yet another film about babies? Has Hollywood got maternal madness? And with such a crummy title, what are we to think? Well, the obvious conclusions are that this film is some marshmallowy chick-flick with not very much to say. Well, yes, the plot is pretty much as standard, except from perhaps, a different point of view; 37-year-old career woman decides she wants children, find out she is infertile and decides to go down the surrogacy route. Surrogate turns out to be a rough diamond and hilarity ensues.

Er … except it does. Really. There are lots, and I mean lots, of laugh-out-loud moments in this film, all tied together by the great performances from Amy Poehler who plays Angie, the cute surrogate redneck and Tina Fey who is the perfect contrast as cool brunette career woman Kate. Their relationship, as you would expect, is fraught with tension, tears and tantrums, and without trying to give away the plot, has enough twists and turns to keep you riveted; 99 minutes flies by.

The film is punctuated by hilarious cameo caricature performances from Steve Martin as Kate’s holistic lifestyle boss, and Sigourney Weaver as the surprisingly fertile surrogate agent Chaffee Bicknell. And of course there is the ‘lovable doorman’ character (somehow reminiscent of the hotel manager in Pretty Woman) who ties the whole plot together, played by Romany Malco, and who gives the film its name.

It is a truly entertaining, funny and light-hearted take on what may be an overdone story, but with a great script and great performances, it easily steps over most of the recent ‘baby’ films and settles in happily underneath Juno. Okay, you don’t expect this film or its performances will warrant Oscars, but if you think that the true essence of the film industry is to entertain, then this film certainly does that.       Lynne Malkin