Friday night I went and checked out the new movie, Baby Mama, starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (THIS JUST IN: Amy Poehler announced she is expecting!) Before I get into my thoughts on the movie I want to say this: Go see it! It was really funny and sweet at the same time.Fey and Poehler were great in the film. They were playing roles stereotypical to the ones you would expect them to play. Fey played a straight-laced, sarcastic, witty woman and Poehler played her funny, goofy, slightly off-color counterpart. Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Most of the previews of the movie give away some of the funniest moments, but there were still a ton of laugh-out-loud lines and gags. I was actually more surprised with the more serious and dramatic parts of the film. I can't say too much without giving the plot away, but there was a twist that I honestly didn't see coming. Maybe it was because I was expecting joke after joke, but the serious moments of the film made it even more enjoyable. I will say, there was a scene where Amy and Tina were yelling at each other in a car that made me uncomfortable... It was like my two best friends were fighting! But, I guess that was the point.
I was even more surprised at how many big-name stars had large parts in the movie, but weren't promoted in the trailers and commercials. Celebs like Steve Martin, Sigourney Weaver and Greg Kinear had pretty substantial supporting roles, and each brought their own brand of comedy and star-power to the movie. There was also a slough of former and current Saturday Night Live actors and improv comedians and writers. Well done.
I do have two complaints about Baby Mama, though. The first being the inconsistencies in the Philadelphia setting. It seemed to me that much of the movie was taped in New York City (perhaps because of Fey's and Poehler's day job schedule?) and passed off as Philly. Maybe it's because I'm familiar with both cities, but it stuck out to me. Poehler's Philly accent also went in and out during the entire movie. I'm not sure if people from other parts of the country would notice, but it was very thick in some places, and nonexistent in others. The second thing that bothered me was the obvious choice to only show the right side of Fey's face in every scene. Fey has a scar on the left side of her face, apparently caused by a grim childhood accident, and it was quite noticeable that she was placed on the left side of the screen in every shot. Once you're aware of it, it's very distracting. Other than that I loved the movie!
Both Fey and Poehler were recently on NBC's Today show talking about Baby Mama and their roles in the film. You can check Fey's interview here and Poehler's here. You can also view the trailer and clips from Baby Mama here.
Did you see the movie? What did you think?