Kate Holbrook is a successful single businesswoman who has always put her career before her personal life. Now in her late thirties, she is suddenly overcome with the urge to have a child. Denied the opportunity to adopt, she goes to a clinic that will provide a sperm donor. Unfortunately it's discovered she has T-shaped uterus, making it next to impossible to bear children. There is one door left open to her, she can pay someone else to carry the child to labour. Spending a small fortune at a clinic that arranges these things, Kate winds up hiring an uneducated, obnoxious woman named Angie to become a surrogate mother for her...

Baby Mama, on paper sounds like it shouldn't work. It's silly and a little predictable... but it does work, and rather well too. This is down partly to the wonderful on screen chemistry between Tina Fey (as Kate) and Amy Poehler (playing Angie).

The original idea was simple: Angie carries the child and once it's born it's handed over to Kate in exchange for the money. However, when Angie falls out with her boyfriend, she finds herself with nowhere to go. The only person she can think of turning to is Kate. The rest of the movie sees this odd couple living together, not very harmoniously.

There's a couple of interesting cameos from Steve Martin and Sigourney Weaver - both of whom pop up from time to time. But while their contribution is small, it does make for a better movie due to their involvement.

There's only one extra, a fairly average audio commentary with Michael McCullers (director), Lorne Michaels (producer) and stars Fey and Poehler. It's odd because they keep mentioning how deleted scenes and outtakes will be on the finished release. I'm guessing that the original DVD/Blu-ray contained more extras, but for this release the rights weren't available for the content.

While it's not going to be selected as one of the greatest movies ever made, for a lighthearted, check-your-brain-at-the-door, film it's actually rather enjoyable.

7

Nick Smithson