| | Published May 23rd, 2012
| What to Expect When You're Expecting
| | By Derek Zemrak |
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| Photo Lions Gate Entertainment
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I have to say I was hesitant about how screenwriters Shauna Cross (Whip It) and Heather Hach (Freaky Friday) were going to adapt the bestseller "What To Expect When You're Expecting" from Heidi Murkoff, dubbed by the New York Times as "the pregnancy bible," into a feature film, but they did it and did it right! As with the book, the movie addresses all aspects of pregnancy, from miscarriage to adoption, mood swings and emotional breakdowns down to cankles!
The film follows five couples through different stages of pregnancy. The ensemble cast including Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks (The 40 Year Old Virgin), Brooklyn Decker (Just Go With It), Matthew Morrison (Glee), Ben Falcone (Bridesmaids), Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, and Rodrigo Santoro (300). All do an admirable job. However, I would have to say that Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids) was the scene-stealer. Wilson had several of the funniest lines in the movie as the eccentric sales girl in the maternity store. One of the best lines was delivered to her boss: "Can I take my 15-minute Facebook break?"
As with most pregnancies, surprises happen along the way and this screenplay touches on those moments. All pregnancies are different; some easy, some not so easy, some complicated and some tragic. High praise must be given to the screenwriters as well as to the director, Kirk Jones (Waking Ted Devine), for keeping the non-comedic, difficult elements in the film.
It was enjoyable to watch "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and reminded me of trying to find a banana cream pie at 2:30 a.m. to satisfy my wife's craving. All I can say is thank you Nations for being open 24 hours a day. I highly recommend this entertaining movie. Make it a girls' night out, but this time bring along the husbands or significant others as everyone will find some exceedingly funny moments to share, remember and rekindle.
Derek Zemrak is a Film Critic, Film Producer and Founder of the California Independent Film Festival. You can follow Derek on Twitter @zemrak for the latest Hollywood news.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA