Parents' Guide to Baby Boom

This comedy drama initially strides out confidently with a cast of '80s icons and what, from a distance, looks like a fun modern premise. Unfortunately Baby Boom seems to toy with the idea of feminism and empowerment, only to then trip and fall head-first into gender stereotypes and Hollywood cliches of corporate working women. Keaton goes all out with the drama and chaos. But the concept of an accomplished woman who seems unable to so much as organize a babysitter, doesn't quite hit right.

There are touching moments and the movie is a lot of fun in places -- particularly the earlier scenes of baby anarchy. However, it falls short elsewhere. Toward the end of the film, Keaton's character, J.C., addresses a room full of smug White men attempting to buy out her growing baby food business. But what might have been an interesting comment on a sexist work environment and finding your own way to succeed feels a little like giving in. The movie just about works, but everything feels like a missed opportunity to say something more, go a little deeper, or be a touch sharper. As is, it's a lighthearted offering that relies strongly on the pedigree of its actors -- Sam Shepard and Harold Ramis among them -- to tell a story that doesn't quite seem to know what it's saying, but offers an entertaining few hours and a decent level of nostalgia. Even if its impact is more of a clatter than a boom.