Baby Mama

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When Kate (Tina Fey) finds out she can't have babies, she hires an immature and unhealthy, white trash surrogate (Amy Poehler) to have one for her.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, Romany Malco, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Martin, Maura Tierney, Holland Taylor

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This is a fun, easy to watch film that won't change your life if you see it, or if you don't.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Some.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Has any movie from the Lorne Michaels' school of comedy ever made anyone cry? (In case you're not familiar with Lorne Michaels' work, here's an abbreviated list: Ladies Man, Superstar, Hot Rod, Black Sheep, Stuart Saves his Family, Wayne's World-- okay, that one might have brought a tear to my eye.)

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The Steve Martin's Still Got It Award!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: As restrained as a couple of SNL actors can manage. And I'm speaking of course about Amy Poehler.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Comment on the casting: we all know how Amy Poehler got the part, but I think the film would've been stronger if the surrogate had been played by a twenty-five year old. Contrary to what may be implied above, I enjoyed Amy Poehler's performance most of the time, although she sometimes came off a little too savvy. But it never makes sense that Tina Fey's character would pick someone so old to carry her child, and all of Amy Poehler's dialogue felt like it had been written for an Ellen Page or a Thora Birch type.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Standard fare, but it works. And big ups for making a successful female buddy comedy!

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Semi-Pro

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell) makes a bunch of money with a hit single, "Love me Sexy," and with that money buys the American Basketball Association team, The Flint Tropics. Now the ABA is being shut down, and only the top four ABA teams can join the NBA, so his basketball team is forced to learn to play basketball.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Andre Benjamin, Maura Tierney, Andrew Daly, Will Arnett, Andy Richter, David Koechner, Rob Corddry, Matt Walsh, Jackie Earle Haley, (with appearances by a smattering of SNL and Daily Show regulars).

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Is Will Ferrell's thing getting tired? Or is this movie just less clever than the rest?

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There is one really funny line. (After you've seen it, I'll tell you which it was.) The second best joke is the wardrobe, but if you've seen one, "Hey, didn't we wear funny clothes in the 70s?"- joke, you've seen 'em all.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you're a feminist, you might cry at the constant reminder of how degrading the 70s were to women... Especially when you think about how little progress some men have made.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: MTV will nominate it a bunch. But it actually has a good chance in the Best Fight category. If the rest of the movie had been at the level of the fight, they might've been on to something.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Will Ferrell's high-pitched, freaked-out rants are starting to blend together for me. He's got a lot of talent (obviously), and I would even go so far as to say that he will go down in history as the comedic voice of this era (and I mean on a Charlie Chaplin level)... but this particular character was a real jive turkey.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Kent Alterman's directing is probably the most graceful element of the movie. I noticed that I was often watching from exactly the angle I wanted to see, for exactly the amount of time I wanted to see. And the best part is he doesn't show any close-ups of the vomiting-- which is thoughtful. He wasn't quite so considerate with the extreme close-ups of Will Ferrell's inner crotch, in all too revealing 70s basketball shorts.

Q: How is the script?

A: I'm not sure this movie had one.

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