Movie Review: What To Expect, When You’re Expecting

Director: Kirk Jones

Writer: Shauna Cross, Heather Hach, Heidi Murkoff (books)

Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks

Several couples experience the various stages involved with starting a family. Their unique stories intertwine to create a glimpse into the crazy, unpredictable scary and beautiful world or pregnancy and child rearing.  The stories are told through the eyes of the women involved, each of which represent different stages and phases in life. The women are a varied bunch which include a personal trainer, a would be chef and a store  owner and baby expert all of which experience their pregnancies in hilarious and unexpected ways. Wendy (Banks) Finally gets pregnant after years of trying, only to find herself in competition with her younger “mother in law” (Decker) who gets pregnant on a whim, wears stilettos into her 3rd trimester and manages to avoid every unpleasant symptom. Hilarity ensues in witnessing the often unpleasant and annoying occurrence women endure while pregnant.

The movie is based on a series of books by Heidi Murkoff, and much like the written version many aspects of pregnancy and child rearing are explored. From miscarriages to adoption all the bases are covered in a carefully crafted plot  that has the characters intertwined in fun and interesting ways. While the subject matter and language are pretty tame by today’s standard it may not be the best movie to take the kids to. Opt instead for a date night or better still a girls night out. Prepare to laugh cry and cheer as one by one each story gives you something to relate to.  Whether you’re a mom, a soon to be mom or have a mom this is a great movie to see.