What To Expect When You're Expecting
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Chace Crawford, Matthew Morrison, Rodrigo Santoro, Brooklyn Decker, Dennis Quaid.
Director: Kirk Jones
Rating: 3/5
What To Expect When You're Expecting sees self-help manuel of the same name get the big star treatment as an ensemble cast comes together to look at the ups and down of pregnancy and impending parenthood.
Kirk Jones is in the director's chair for the comedy and this is his first movie outing since Everybody's Fine back in 2010.
Over the moon about starting a family, TV fitness guru Jules and dance show star Evan find that their high-octane celebrity lives don’t stand a chance against the surprise demands of pregnancy.
Baby-crazy author and advocate Wendy gets a taste of her own militant mommy advice when pregnancy hormones ravage her body; while Wendy’s husband, Gary, struggles not to be outdone by his competitive alpha-Dad, who’s expecting twins with his much younger trophy wife, Skyler.
Photographer Holly is prepared to travel the globe to adopt a child, but her husband Alex isn’t so sure, and tries to quiet his panic by attending a 'dudes' support group, where new fathers get to tell it like it really is.
And rival food truck chefs Rosie and Marco’s surprise hook-up results in an unexpected quandary: what to do when your first child comes before your first date?
The main issue that I do have with the movie is that is has a real disjoined feel about it throughout. It jumps around from couple to couple and instead of seamless links between their stories it just has that thrown together feel about it - which is a shame.
These stories should feel like they are all linked together but, to be honest, if feels like you could be watching two or three different movies.
Elizabeth Banks really carries the comedy element of this movie as she shows perhaps the most realistic image of being pregnant and just how difficult it can be. She is fantastically funny throughout and she really does steal this movie.
But the comedy isn't really sustained and if you are going to sell this film as a comedy project then there have to be more than one or two laughs.
Having said that there is a heartwarming feel to the movie and the cast and characters are incredibly likeable.
But it's not all baby showers and cuddly toys as the movie does look at a more serious side of pregnancy such as miscarriage and the process of adopting due to the inability to have children.
These heart-wrenching issues are not belittled but they are almost brushed aside and tackling these ideas would have given this movie another dimension.
Jennifer Lopez's character cannot have children and therefore decides to adopt the fact that she cannot have a child is briefly mention and the film doesn't look at the emotional impact this has on a woman.
Also the tension between Lopez and Rodrigo Santoro is not explored as he is struggling to come to terms with the adoption and this could have been a really emotional element to the movie.
What To Expect When You're Expecting should have been a movie that balanced the comedy elements with the more serious issues and is sadly stayed away from the latter.
Having said all that there is plenty in What To Expect When You're Expecting to keep you entertained - and it's worth it just for the 'dude's group'.
What To Expect When You're Expecting is released 25th May
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw