The story follows five couples and the friends, family and strangers that intertwine their lives as they prepare to deal with the expected and unexpected occurrences of birth and parenthood. As the film opens to Jules Baxter (Cameron Diaz) and her partner Evan (Matthew Morrison) getting ready to compete for the final win on Celebrity Dance Factor we take note that rumor has it the two are dating but when Jules vomits on the show in front of the world rumor has it she may be pregnant. Not only are the two celebrities on television, Evan a dancer and Jules the host of a weight loss reality show but they are soon to be parents that can’t agree on much of anything let alone their religion and the choice of if it’s a boy to circumcise or not! A spoof from “Dancing with the Stars” and “The Biggest Loser” the writers did a nice job of showing that the side of fame is also very normal and has to push out a baby just like any other woman in a not so famous position.
Wendy (Elizabeth Banks) runs a cute little shop in Georgia called The Breast Choice and she just published her first book, Milk it. Strange little book that demonstrates for children the different animals in the world and the practice of their offspring suckling their udders, breasts, nipples, well you know, for nourishment. Strange subject for a man to explain but definitely made for a woman. Wendy has been trying to get pregnant for two years with her husband Gary (Ben Falcone) who happens to be having an inferiority complex with his father, race car driver Ramsey (Dennis Quaid) who by the way has married Skyler (Brooklyn Decker) a girl that could be his daughter. Not that there’s anything wrong with dating younger! Just saying! Wendy is not having such an easy time of dealing with her pregnancy. A matter of fact it turns out to be a living hell unlike Skyler who seems to have the best of everything, no breast pain, no nausea, no farting, no peeing on herself, no hemorrhoids, everything that Wendy seems to be experiencing. Wendy’s sudden fame from a You Tube posting of ‘pregnancy sucks’ has made her famous with over two million views. Wendy and Gary was the realistic portion of the film as they dealt with the extremes of child birth unlike Skyler and Ramsey that had a smooth ride from start to finish.
Two trucks meet in a park at night; one is “The Great Big Pig’ and the other something to do with cheese. Marco (Chace Crawford) being the pig truck and Rosie (Anna Kendrick) the cheese truck but when his bacon gets into her cheese she soon is expecting. Even though they knew each other from high school other than recent sex they did not know each other that well. When Rosie breaks the news of her pregnancy, Marco is sent into a whirlwind about what to do. Of course, he stays but in the end God has a reason for everything and this reason was just not meant to be. Yet! I liked the way the direction was done with their issues for the most part but they seemed to be written in and then forgotten for a bit until the end where we get to see their final choices regarding their relationship.
Last but certainly not least we get to look inside a more dramatic window at the lives of Holly (Jennifer Lopez) a photographer that struggles to bring money into the household and Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) her husband. Since Holly is not able to conceive, the couple is out to adopt a child from Ethiopia. Times are rough though when Holly loses her main photography account at the Georgia Aquarium. Definitely some beautiful underwater moments as the director features several different fish species, centering some stunning footage of the Beluga Whale. The couple struggles with the fear of becoming parents for the first time, money, a house rather than an apartment; responsibilities all play a part in the couple’s fears of becoming a mother and father. Nice work by the director and writers as we get to watch this couple struggle right up to a dramatic, perfectly scored moment in Ethiopia when the scared couple get to see their child for the first time. Sure to bring an emotional tear to your eyes! On the light side though we often throughout their story get to see Alex as he meets up with the Mr. Moms in the park hoping they convince him that the decision he and Holly made is the right one. Vic (Chris Rock) and his son who takes a licking and still keep ticking no matter what they hit the poor kid with, Gabe (Rob Huebel), Patel (Amir Talai) and Craig (Thomas Lennon) the man with a very small spine and of course the man they all look up to David (Joe Manganiello) the perfect body that never walks but always runs. At least in the beginning! It was a bit strange looking when he was doing the one arm pull-ups, almost like some invisible force was lifting him up and down. I know special effects can do wonders if even in a corny way for a laugh!
In the end when they all come together in the hospital we get to finally see the end results of the afterglow and what nine months can do to a pregnant woman physically and emotionally. Guys time to keep some Xanax around for sure!
Diaz and Morrison were nicely matched and pulled off their parts well together. Banks was hysterical and along with Falcone brought a definitely needed burst of laughter from the audience from time to time. Crawford and Kendrick were added for their youth of course. To bring in the younger audience as we get to see the results of what just one night of sex can bring, the good and the bad. Decker and Quaid were a definite treat bringing a sense of dry yet typical humor to the wealthier side of the tracks. It is Lopez and Santoro that won me over though, for their dramatic addition to this very real yet unreal take of getting pregnant or in their case adopting from another country yet all leading up to becoming a family which is really all we have left to leave behind when our time comes to pass.
This was a much different story than what I thought it would be, dealing with more serious topics rather than just throwing in a sense of humor for no reason at all. The perfect story for mothers to be or anyone that may be looking to raise a family by natural child birth or cesarean, married or single, in love or in lust this film is the retreat for those thinking to add to their family tree. Written and enjoyed with two paws out of four by Jon Patch.
