G-S-T Review…What to Expect When You’re Expecting

What to Expect When You’re Expecting was inspired by the New York Times bestseller with the same title.  While the book is a guide to help women understand what to expect during pregnancy, the movie is a hilarious and heartwarming comedy.  The movie follows five couples whose lives are dramatically changed by the challenges of preparing for parenthood.  This movie boasts an ensemble cast, which doesn’t always equate to box office success.  Keep reading to find out what you can expect from What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

Author of a new children’s book and baby store owner Wendy (Elizabeth Banks), gets a big dose of her own overbearing advice when pregnancy hormones overwhelm her body.  Wendy’s husband Gary (Ben Falcone) struggles in his own way.  Gary has a super competitive alpha-male father (Dennis Quaid), who’s expecting twins with his new trophy wife, Skyler (Brooklyn Decker).  Holly (Jennifer Lopez) is a photographer who is prepared to traverse the planet to adopt a child.  Her husband Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) is not quite sure about the whole thing.  So, Holly tells Alex to join a “dude’s support group”.  The support group brings us Vic (Chris Rock), who leads the “dude” pack and preaches about the woes of parenthood.

Jules (Cameron Diaz) is a fitness guru who is absolutely crazy about starting a family.  After appearing on a reality dance show with Evan (Matthew Morrison), the dance pair realizes they are going to be parents.  Their high intensity celebrity lifestyles don’t stand a chance against the demands of pregnancy.  Enjoy the ride as they try to continue with their lives as if the baby isn’t going to slow them down.  Rosie (Anna Kendrick) and Marco (Chase Crawford) have the typical on again/off again relationship, which many viewers will relate to these days.  Many other stars have smaller roles, but are equally important to the overall success of this film.

With so many storylines and mini-plots going on you have to wonder if audiences will be able to keep up with everything that takes place throughout the course of the movie.  Some might consider this film simple and predictable, but it’s really more of a light-hearted, feel good flick.  There are moments throughout the film, which may tug at your heartstrings.  There are other moments when the entire audience will erupt in laughter.   This movie takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride with more ups than downs.  The ride ends as you walk out of the theater with a smile on your face.

Kirk Jones was sitting in the Director’s chair for this rollercoaster ride.  His recent films include Nannie McPhee and Everybody’s Fine (Writer/Director).  While Kirk only has a handful of major motion pictures under his belt, he does an excellent job with the script.  There are so many moving parts to this movie, including several different locations and multiple plotlines.  It’s admirable that he was able to pull them all together.  He also had a large number of talented actors to keep happy and headed in the right direction.  Kudos to Kirk Jones for a job well done.

The screenplay was written by Shauna Cross and Heather Hach.  Both writers only have a couple of major screenplay credits to their name, which is surprising given the complexity, depth and calamity which was all infused into What to Expect When You’re Expecting.  If you watch any reality TV at all you will pick up on a number of references throughout the film.  Jules (Cameron Diaz) is an obvious spoof on Jillian Michaels from NBC’s The Biggest Loser.  There are a number of other obvious and very funny references as well.  Shauna and Heather definitely have bright futures ahead of them in Hollywood.

G-S-T RULING:

What to Expect When You’re Expecting masterfully interweaves several storylines of couples expecting children and bundles it all up with a heavy dose of laughter.  If you have seen the trailer for the movie, you might have wondered if the trailer is funnier than the movie.  Thankfully that is not the case…this movie is very enjoyable.  It is loaded with laughter, warmth, depth and dialogue that will appeal to both men and women alike.  Guys, if you are dreading the thought of seeing this movie…have no fear, this movie is worth the trip.  Head to the theater expecting good things from What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

 If you’ve seen the movie already, please share your thoughts below. If you haven’t seen the movie, go see it…then come back and talk about it.