by: Erin Dower
Cravings, contractions, spit-up, and diaper changes – what better fodder for a cinematic comedy than pregnancy and new parenthood? Whether you're expecting a baby or just love a good comedy, sit back and enjoy others clumsily navigating pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
What to Expect When You're Expecting
This is a movie spinoff of the popular What to Expect book series. The all-star cast, including Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, and Elizabeth Banks, play five interconnected pregnant/expecting women and their fumbling hubbies or partners. The movie plays out a lot of those pregnancy clichés we've seen before (i.e., laboring woman swearing at frightened husband), but does it well and has some fresh fodder, too — poking fun at uber-trendy baby names, awkward older dads-to-be with trophy wives, and other cringe-worthy aspects of modern parenting.
Rated: PG-13
Baby Mama
Saturday Night Live alums Tina Fey and Amy Poehler play two women who become unlikely friends when Fey's character, Kate, feels her clock ticking and seeks a surrogate, Angie, to carry her baby. Kate, the type-A executive, and Angie, the working-class free spirit, end up as roommates who butt heads over everything from prenatal vitamins to baby-proofing, but eventually bond. Supporting cast members Steve Martin and Dax Shepard add to the movie's hilarity.
Rated: PG-13
Knocked Up
Here's another film that explores having a career and (surprise!) becoming a mom. Alison, played by Katherine Heigl, gets promoted from a behind-the-scenes role to an on-camera job at the E! channel. After going out for celebratory drinks, she gets pregnant during a one-night stand with scruffy, immature Ben, played by Seth Rogen. The movie is alternately sweet and vulgar, but ultimately a modern classic among pregnancy flicks.
Rated: R
Juno
Of all the people who could become pregnant during high school, few would expect it of nerdy pals Juno and Paulie, played by Ellen Page and Michael Cera. Juno faces the stares and fears pretty admirably, and makes some tough decisions, in this interesting indie film that will make you laugh and cry.
Rated: PG-13
Nine Months
Rebecca and Sam, played by Julianne Moore and Hugh Grant, have just hit their stride as an unwed 30-something couple when Rebecca discovers she's pregnant. She becomes overjoyed with the surprise. Sam, on the other hand, struggles to shift gears from his youthful world of convertibles and tennis matches. Joan Cusack, Tom Arnold, and Robin Williams supplement the wackiness of this warm movie.
Rated: PG-13
Father of the Bride Part II
Steve Martin is a natural as the dad who just can't deal with his little girl being all grown up. In Father of the Bride, George Banks finally accepts that his daughter, Annie, is getting married. In the sequel, he must adapt to her becoming a mom – and survive his wife's surprise pregnancy. It's another charming movie that highlights father-daughter love and mid-life coming of age. Diane Keaton again plays George's level-headed wife, and Martin Short returns as the crazy Franck Eggelhoffer.
Rated: PG
She's Having a Baby
Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern play cute newlyweds, Jake and Kristi, bound for marital bliss when the pregnancy and life they longed for hits a few road bumps. If you loved Sixteen Candles and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, you'll probably enjoy this film by the same writer-director, John Hughes, and you'll dig the soundtrack.
Rated: PG-13
Look Who's Talking
This is the first and best film in the Look Who's Talking trilogy. Bruce Willis provides the voice of Mikey, a newborn baby with commentary on the life of his single mom, Mollie, played by Kirstie Alley. John Travolta costars as James, a cab driver pursuing Mollie, in this '80s crowd pleaser.
Rated: PG-13
Three Men and a Baby
This 1987 comedy features Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson playing three bachelors who become dads when a baby is left on their doorstep. The friends juggle feeding schedules and diaper dilemmas with their booming careers. It's a light-hearted, satisfying '80s flick that was followed up by the sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady.
Rated: PG
Baby Boom
Diane Keaton's character, J.C. Wiatt, is a yuppie business woman climbing the corporate ladder when she unexpectedly becomes a mom. With a beautiful baby but ultra-competitive colleagues and a backwards-minded boss, can a woman really have it all? Find out!
Rated: PG
Raising Arizona
What happens when a robber and a police photographer get married but can't conceive a child? They kidnap a baby and hit the road for some crazy car chases and redneck childrearing. Directed by dark comedians the Coen brothers and starring Holly Hunter and Nicolas Cage, the movie will take you on a joyride that you'll either love or hate.
Rated: PG-13
