The What to Expect When You're Expecting books have spent a million years on the bestseller list. Author Heidi Murkoff has definitely found a way to tap into what expecting and new parents are looking for--although the series is not without its detractors, as you seasoned mamas may well know.
So how does a set of non-fiction advice books on parenting and pregnancy translate into a What to Expect When You're Expecting movie? That seems to be the question everyone is asking this week, and since catching a preview, I have the scoop.
In a nutshell, this movie is trying too hard to be all things to all people. Or at least to all people who have ever been pregnant, tried to get pregnant, or considered parenthood in one form or another. And if that sounds like an impossible feat for a movie, that's because...well, it is. From an adoption in Ethiopia, to multiple pregnancies all concurring simultaneously, it's a bit like watching a wannabe Love Actually on crack.
That said, there are some scenes that are truly laugh out loud funny. The highlight of the film by far is Chris Rock, who delivers everything you want from him, and more; probably thanks in part to his own brood at home. And the fact that he's just awesome.
I wish I could recommend What to Expect, considering how talented (and attractive) the cast is and how absolutely beautiful it all looks. However pretty people aren't enough to warrant the cost of two overpriced tickets and a sitter for a night. And I also have to admit more than a little annoyance at whomever decided to write in a miscarriage as a transparently cheap tactic to pull at the heartstrings. Nothing is sacred, I suppose.
I just wish studio folks would stick with comedy or drama, because dramedies are nearly impossible to pull off. So while yes, there's some redeeming laugh value here, I would wait for Netflix or HBO. For the time being, eat some red vines and rewatch Downton Abbey at home instead. It's pretty too. -Eva
What to Expect When you're Expecting opens Friday at theaters nationwide.
So how does a set of non-fiction advice books on parenting and pregnancy translate into a What to Expect When You're Expecting movie? That seems to be the question everyone is asking this week, and since catching a preview, I have the scoop.
In a nutshell, this movie is trying too hard to be all things to all people. Or at least to all people who have ever been pregnant, tried to get pregnant, or considered parenthood in one form or another. And if that sounds like an impossible feat for a movie, that's because...well, it is. From an adoption in Ethiopia, to multiple pregnancies all concurring simultaneously, it's a bit like watching a wannabe Love Actually on crack.
That said, there are some scenes that are truly laugh out loud funny. The highlight of the film by far is Chris Rock, who delivers everything you want from him, and more; probably thanks in part to his own brood at home. And the fact that he's just awesome.
I wish I could recommend What to Expect, considering how talented (and attractive) the cast is and how absolutely beautiful it all looks. However pretty people aren't enough to warrant the cost of two overpriced tickets and a sitter for a night. And I also have to admit more than a little annoyance at whomever decided to write in a miscarriage as a transparently cheap tactic to pull at the heartstrings. Nothing is sacred, I suppose.
I just wish studio folks would stick with comedy or drama, because dramedies are nearly impossible to pull off. So while yes, there's some redeeming laugh value here, I would wait for Netflix or HBO. For the time being, eat some red vines and rewatch Downton Abbey at home instead. It's pretty too. -Eva
What to Expect When you're Expecting opens Friday at theaters nationwide.
