Baby Mama (PG-13, 2008)

common sense media says

SNL gals deliver hilarious comedy for teens+.

parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this comedy is both irreverent and candid in dealing with the topics of infertility, pregnancy, and surrogacy (none of which are probably at the top of teens' "funny subjects" list, so there's a chance they won't be interested, despite the presence of Saturday Night Live veterans Tina Fey and Amy Poehler). Characters make fun of a woman's inability to get pregnant, and one treats pregnancy as a big pain. There's some "white trash" stereotyping involved with Poehler's character, but Angie ultimately proves to be a decent soul. Expect some drinking, references to drug use, and a fair amount of swearing (nothing stronger than "s--t") and product placement mixed in with the plentiful laughs.

Positive messages: All of the characters are flawed, though most of them have good intentions at heart. Kate frequently comes across as judgmental and a little bit snobby, while Angie's irresponsible "white trash" background is played up for laughs -- though, to the movie's credit, she has more depth than similar characters in other films. Characters deceive each other, attempt blackmail, and more. A subplot involves a big corporation coming into a small neighborhood and possibly hurting local business. New age philosophies are mocked (mostly gently). All but one of the central cast members are Caucasian.

Violence: Two women hurl insults at each other during a massive screaming argument. A little bit of slapstick physical comedy.

Sex: No nudity, and not much beyond kissing is shown. But there are some crass references to baby-making, including a shot in which Poehler's character spreads her legs for artificial insemination. Words like "horny" are used. A couple spends the night together after a first date.

Language: Language includes "damn," "a--hole," a handful of "s--t"s, and one "effin" as a stand-in for "f--k." Some name-calling.

Consumerism: Product placements galore, including Luna Bars, Dr. Pepper, Tastykakes, Red Bull, Forbes Life, baby books, video games, and Jamba Juice. Kate works for a Whole Foods-like company called Round Earth.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Social drinking -- including one scene in which a woman who's purportedly pregnant sneaks a few swigs of hard liquor at a nightclub. Several jokes about recreational drug use.

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What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about who this movie's target audience is. Is it teens? Older women with children? How can you tell? How is the movie different from most comedies aimed at women? Families can also discuss surrogacy. Why does it seem like such a controversial subject? How were the filmmakers able to mine it for humor? Also, do you think the movie is making any specific points about the "class war"? What do Kate and Angie have in common? How are they different?

What's the story?

BABY MAMA is writer-director Michael McCullers' riotous film about Kate (Tina Fey), a high-powered natural food store exec who can't get pregnant. She's tried everything, including in-vitro fertilization, but her T-shaped uterus is supposedly inhospitable to babies. (One doctor tells her point-blank, "I just don't like your uterus.") So Kate opts for surrogacy, signing up with an elite agency that matches her with spunky Angie (Amy Poehler). Angie's rough around the edges -- she hops on a sink to relieve herself when a childproofed toilet proves too challenging to negotiate -- but she means well, for the most part. One hilarious insemination process later, they're in the mommy business. Or are they?

Is it any good?

Fey and Poehler are a fabulous team -- so fun and funny to watch. Refreshingly un-saccharine even when they participate in the obligatory female bonding moment (playing a karaoke video game, no less), they take a good-enough plot and infuse it with their subversive though still-pleasant humor (they've been working together beautifully for years, and it shows). Fey in particular is ever more able, proving herself to be a comedic genius.

Add Greg Kinnear (more appealing than ever as Kate's from-left field love interest) and Dax Shepard (Angie's clueless-but-comical commonlaw husband) to season the mix. Then, top it off with Steve Martin as the self-aggrandizing, name-dropping, ponytailed tree-hugging CEO of Kate's company ("I am a great man, and great men do great things," he intones) and Sigourney Weaver as the blithely insensitive surrogacy-center owner -- who's compelled to boast about her own body's amazing ability to get pregnant despite being in her 50s -- and you have a winner. There's even some insight into the class wars as they play out in the organic foods-versus-junk food realm, as well as a dash of real poignancy in how much Kate craves a baby. So what if it's predictable? Bottom line: Brilliant? No. But laugh-out-loud funny? Definitely.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details

Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Michael McCullers
Cast: Amy Poehler, Greg Kinnear, Tina Fey
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 100 minutes
Theatrical release: April 23, 2008
DVD release: September 8, 2008
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: crude and sexual humor, language and a drug reference.

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This review was written by S. Jhoanna Robledo

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What parents & educators say

Most useful reviews by all members

i tell you more
adult

come on

i think it's cool sexy but i don't think it will effect young kids that are 10 or over i mean come on we all know that they know about it all but hide it no probs with it

What other families should know

Movie Details

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Genre

Baby Mama (PG-13, 2008)

common sense media says

parents & educators say

What parents need to know

More on Baby Mama

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

What's the story?

What's the story?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?

Movie themes & details

Movie Details

Watch our review

Review It

Review Baby Mama

What parents & educators say

Most useful reviews by all members

come on

Not Good At All.

rewiew

Cute, but be careful!

Laugh out loud hilarious!

funny

i closed my eyes

Great for a Sleepover

Cute story

Funny :)

So funny, great movie for ages 13+

fuuny and not mature

People need to lighten up!

Good For Mature Tweens and Teen

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