Common Sense Media Review
By Kat Halstead
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
New Zealand pregnancy comedy has language, sex references.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Baby Done
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In BABY DONE, Zoe (Rose Matafeo) and her long-term boyfriend Tim (Matthew Lewis) discover that they are pregnant and attempt to adjust to the unexpected news. While Tim plans for the practicalities, Zoe makes a list of dreams for them to experience before parenthood and rushes into every adventure she can find, with little thought for her own safety. With the birth becoming ever closer, and the couple drifting further apart, will Zoe ever be able to see parenthood as a beginning rather than an end?
Is It Any Good?
New Zealand comedian Matafeo is warm and likable as Zoe, all denial-driven stubboness and defiant chaos, leaning into the dramatic scenes as hard as the more comfortable comedy territory. The laid-back, low-key relationship with long-term boyfriend Tim (Lewis aka Harry Potter's Neville Longbottom) in Baby Done is sweet and playful, and the actors share a great chemistry that makes it feel easy and believable.
As Zoe gets nearer to the birth, she fights harder against the pregnancy, increasingly determined to load herself up with rucksacks and jet off to compete in an international tree-climbing competition, while simultaneously seeking out the attentions of a creepy "Preggophile" to prove she's still got it. An obvious inevitability hangs in the air, and the movie becomes part will-they-won't they and part reclamation of the woman-child trope, in which our female lead has as much right to a pregnancy "freak-out" as her male counterpart. Intimate, funny, and smartly written, this is a promising second feature from director-to-watch Curtis Vowell.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Baby Done portrays sex. What values are imparted? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
Talk about the strong language in the movie. Does it seem necessary or excessive? What does it contribute to the movie?
How does the movie present drinking and drugs? Is it glamorized? Are there consequences for what they do? Why is that important?
How do Zoe and Tim handle news of their pregnancy differently? How does the movie use humor to express how the characters are feeling? Can you think of other films that tackle unexpected pregnancy? How does this film approach the topics differently?
Movie Details
- In theaters : January 22, 2021
- On DVD or streaming : March 23, 2021
- Cast : Rose Matafeo , Matthew Lewis , Emily Barclay
- Director : Curtis Vowell
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Polynesian/Pacific Islander Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Madman Films
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 91 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : June 15, 2021
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