Low Expectations of 'What to Expect When You're Expecting'

What To Expect When You’re Expecting is a film adaptation based on the New York Times bestseller pregnancy guide of the same name.  The film takes a look at the joys of parenting and parenting-to-be through the lives of five interconnected couples.  In almost two hours, the film attempts to illustrate the ups and downs of adoption, the undesirable side effects of pregnancy, and the unfortunate mishaps.

The film centers around five Atlanta couples:  the high profile celebrity couple Evan (Matthew Morrison) and Jules (Cameron Diaz), Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) and his photographer wife Holly (Jennifer Lopez), former NASCAR driver Ramsey (Dennis Quaid) and his much younger trophy wife Skyler (Brooklyn Decker),  Ramsey’s adult son Gary (Ben Falcone) and his “baby-crazy” businesswomen/author wife Wendy (Hunger Games‘ Elizabeth Banks), and rival food truck chefs Marco (Chace Crawford) and Rosie (Anna Kendrick) who put the “cart before the horse” before even going on a first date.  All the couples are at different stages of their lives, but all await the arrival of their bundles of joy.

However, the cast falls short in the category of balanced chemistry.  Director Kirk Jones (Nanny McPhee) misses the mark and doesn’t do the novel justice.  Screenwriters Shauna Cross (Whip It) and Heather Hach (Freaky Friday) have done better and sadly this film does not highlight their writing talents.  Between attempts to make you laugh, there are a few tender moments, but unfortunately not enough to carry the film.

Although What To Expect When You’re Expecting focuses on expectant motherhood, the film tries to show the role that the father plays in the journey.  Outside of a few of Chris Rock’s typical comedic rants about fatherhood (which lacks in comparison to the stand-up routine he is known for) and a major meltdown by Banks’ character, there’s very little that this movie offers that actually lives up to the title.  To make matters worse, the films worst offenses were the over dramatized acting, forced laughter, and a lack of fluidity between the actors.  The film’s storyline delivers an unbalanced mishmash of vignettes.  In essence, it tries too hard to make you laugh and fails to bring cohesion between plot and characters.

If you don’t mind witnessing a dysfunctional man’s club, jumping from story to story with no clear direction, or finding humor in watching a screaming woman go into labor, then maybe this is the movie for you. What To Expect When You’re Expecting has a notable cast, but disappointingly it’s a flat and lackluster comedy.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10 stars