Film Review: Boredom Awaits During ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ with Cameron Diaz

Submitted by BrianTT on May 18, 2012 - 10:16am

CHICAGO – “Battleship” is getting a lot of flack this week for having little to do with its alleged source. I would argue that the awful “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” is even more dishonest when it comes to its inspiration. Working from an instructional book that’s designed to prepare adults for impending parenthood, the film that steals its title turns truth into cliché. There’s little that feels real or honest in this greatest hits parade of stereotypes about pregnancy and the attempt to disguise it in manipulative sentimentality makes it all the more nauseating.

Rating: 1.0/5.0

Much like Garry Marshall’s “Valentine’s Day” and “New Year’s Eve,” Kirk Jones’ comedy tells multiple barely interconnected stories centered around how ridiculous, stupid, and annoying Hollywood thinks that grown men and women become when they’re expecting the birth of a child. Honestly, you could talk to any group of people about what they actually went through while they or their spouse was pregnant and get more humor, warmth, and believable humanity than in this misogynistic junk, a film that basically turns impending parenthood into a ridiculous tool for bad jokes and, even worse, emotional manipulation.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” in our reviews section.

“What to Expect When You’re Expecting” features five couples dealing with pregnancy. There’s reality TV stars Jules (Cameron Diaz) and Evan (Matthew Morrison), a high-maintenance pair who argue about circumcision purely so the writers can throw in a few dick jokes but without the slightest degree of truth about how parents can disagree about major decisions even before they know the sex of the child. Baby photographer Holly (Jennifer Lopez) is adopting an Ethiopian child with her husband Alex (Rodrigo Santoro), a man who’s clearly not ready for fatherhood and so the writers throw him into a daddy’s group of stereotypes – men who walk through the park and complain about their wives but “really love their kids”. These walking cartoons are played by Rob Huebel, Chris Rock, Amir Talai, and Thomas Lennon.

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” review.

“What to Expect When You’re Expecting” stars Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Ben Falcone, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, Rodrigo Santoro, and Joe Manganiello. It was directed by Kirk Jones. It opens on May 18, 2012 and is rated PG-13.