The Comedy Mother Lode
Baby Mama
Michael McCullers
Well-to-do, polished, 37-year-old Kate (Tina Fey) sacrificed her personal life to become Vice President of an organic grocery store chain. Now she wants a baby, but she can't conceive, so she hires white-trash Angie (Amy Poehler) as a surrogate mother. Dynamic duo Fey and Poehler, who've known each other since their improv days in the early '90s, are comedy gold. McCullers' script merges highbrow and lowbrow sight gags, terrific dialogue, and memorable characters (every cameo serves a purpose and earns a laugh). Poehler in particular is shameless as a repulsive houseguest, but though the jokes are occasionally crass, the story also has heart and even a surprising plot twist. However, Kate's romance with Rob (Greg Kinnear) feels a bit forced, and it's hard to believe Kate's doorman (Romany Malco) would be so invested in her and Angie's personal lives. The commentary track with Fey, Poehler, McCullers, and producer Lorne Michaels is hilarious but largely uninformative; they ham it up about the items they stole from set and Fey pretends that all the extras in a certain scene are her former lovers. Deleted scenes, especially a funny segment with a breast pump, are worth watching. The "making of" features include brief interviews with all the major players but don't provide real insight into the writing process. We do learn that Fey and McCullers shared an office during their first year writing for Saturday Night Live, and that he wrote Baby Mama specifically for her and Poehler.
- Sarah Skilton
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