I was provided with a copy of the movie Making Babies for review purposes. The video was provided to me by Samuel Goldwyn Films. Opinions are my own.
I often review movies for the blog and most of them are for kids and families. This one is not. This is for mom and dad to watch after the kids go to bed. In fact,kids, do not watch the trailer either. I am putting it here so that adults can watch and determine if they would like to watch the movie. I was initially unsure if I should check this movie out. The thing that sold me was Steve Howey and Eliza Coupe. I like both of these actors and wanted to see how well they worked together. the other reason that I had reservations was that the subject matter is not funny for people who are going through infertility. I wanted to see how the movie handled the material. Were the jokes going to be at the expense of the situation or something else. Take a look at the trailer and if it interests you then read on. for me opinion of what I watched.
My full review is below.
The Making Babies movie is a romantic comedy that treats a sensitive issue with the respect it deserves while still bringing the funny.
I am happy to say that when it came to handling the infertility of the characters it was not the source of the jokes. Yes there were some obvious ones like boxers or briefs and the awkwardness of having to give a sample. But it never felt as if the two characters were the butt of the joke and that the movie turned infertility into a joke. It did not. I think that it portrayed the relationship between Katie and John Kelly (Eliza Coupe and Steve Howey) in a very real way. Infertility is soul crushing and it can tear marriages apart. Katie and John have a loving supportive relationship and that shines through. However they are surrounded by a cast of characters.
There is Steve’s older brother, Gordon (Bob Stephenson) who is father to three children. He is married to Maria, (Elizabeth Rodriguez of Orange is the New Black) and their kids only speak Spanish. Gordon doesn’t speak Spanish. Gordon is also going through a bit of a mid life crisis. While he does not appear to be as put together as his younger brother he is the kind of guy who always lads on his feet.
Ed Begley Jr is Dr. Remis who is one of the best infertility doctors around. He also teaches American history at the local college and is often quoting from military leaders from history. Dr. Remis has such a unique type of line delivery that he is often very funny. He is also very supportive of Katie and John. He takes time with them as they navigate this challenge. And you see the challenges that Katie and John go through and you really feel for them. The helplessness and the hopelessness upon finding out that once again they are not going to be expecting.
The movie explores what it feels like to be infertile. Well intentioned family members giving unsolicited advice. Trying crazy things because desperation has sat in. Feeling so defeated because you do not want to get your hopes up. Getting your hopes up only to have them crushed. The movie explores it all. Don’t expect it to be a wacky screwball comedy. There is plenty of heart there. Some of my favorite funny moments are what is happening around Katie and John that is so unbelievable. At one point they go to a wedding with Katie’s mother, Bird, a flower child hippy dippy woman (played by Glenne Headly) who is also very religiously devout and so they hide the medical treatments from her. I laughed out loud because the groom of the wedding was an utter scrub. He was vaping on the altar and even took a selfie with the priest. There were some very funny moments at the wedding.
If you have had difficulties conceiving a child you are very aware of how that is portrayed in movies. Personally I think that they handled the material well with regards to Katie and John’s journey. Both actors were quite entertaining from Steve’s deer in the headlight looks to Eliza’s very matter of fact observation of irony. It was a decent movie to enjoy.
You can get the movie from these outlets. But if you so Please consider my Amazon Affiliate link. It costs you nothing extra and you help us out.
iTunes: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/making-babies/umc.cmc.77tyyjdu6imazcoapt3cobxc6
Vudu: https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/Making-Babies/1115520