crude and sexual humor, language and a drug reference
Run Time: 96 min
Nathan's rating - 4 out of 5

Review by Nathan Chandler for The Mungles on Movies

Copyright 2008 Mungleshow Productions. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

  Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey) is a strong, successful businesswoman who finds that she longs to have a baby despite the fact that she's not dating anyone. Being 37 and unable to become pregnant, she finds a surrogate (Amy Poehler) who is more than comfortable living in her Jerry Springer-like environment. Although their personalities and lifestyles couldn't be further apart, the two become a memorable odd couple as they fight, yet grow closer as more than an expected baby comes into their lives.

This is a rare SNL-alumni filled film that despite its studio-like look and marketing, is very tight and precise. You are almost better off going into this without seeing the trailer because although the jokes from it are funny, they plague the set up, which makes it hard to get into something you've already seen. Thankfully, there's a point in the story where it takes off and the laughs and touching moments don't stop. I feel like each scene in this film was meticulously analyzed to make sure that it was either truly funny or truly progressed the story. For what seems to be a formulaic comedy, there are many surprises and touching dramatic elements.

  Tina Fey gives a wonderful performance, playing more of a straight character than her 30 Rock role. I loved how she portrays a woman who can love her job just as much as having a strong desire to have a family, rather than choosing between the two. Amy Poehler plays her white trash character with full fervor and you can tell she's having a lot of fun with it. She puts a lot of depth into a character that could have just been the butt of every joke. There are a lot of big name supporting roles here, including Sigourney Weaver, Greg Kinnear, Romany Malco and Dax Shepard. None of them bring too much attention to themselves and just add onto an already strong plot. There is also an unadvertised star whose role is so funny, it alone makes the movie worth watching.

  The PG-13 rating for Baby Mama suits it just right. There is language, sexual humor and some drug references, but I never was heavily aware of any of it. It talks and jokes about the raw nature that is the birthing process, so you may not want to take somebody who hasn't had the "birds and the bees" conversation yet. It's rare to find a comedy of this nature that can be so silly at times yet be so well executed. I hope it can find an audience that enjoys and laughs at it as much as I did. I give it 4 out of 5 American Idol karaoke songs.

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Nathan Chandler is a video producer and editor who lives in the heart of Dallas. He has a knack for making awesome mix CDs and has a vast knowledge for movie trivia. When Nathan isn't writing or producing short films on the side, he is wishing he was on Survivor, rooting for the Cowboys, or making sweet tea runs to Chick-fil-a. You can reach Nathan at his blog. Nathan also co-hosts The Film Alcove Podcast. Check it out!