| Overall Grade: |
D |
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| Story: |
D |
|
|
| Acting: |
C |
|
|
| Direction: |
C |
|
|
| Visuals: |
B |
|
|
What a Disappointment
by Bill (movies profile)
Jul 7, 2008
7
of
7 people found this review helpful
This movie is packed with talent, but it's painful to see that talent deliver such painfully unfunny material. Poor Steve Martin is subjected to a role so devoid of humor that it makes one embarrassed for him.
There are no laughs in "Baby Mama" except for one or two gags prominately displayed in the previews. Plot twists and turning points are silly, uneven and lack verisimilitude. Scenes feel like little, unrelated skits. Characters fluctuate in mood from scene to scene as if no one bothered to note what had been filmed the day before. Jokes are strictly TV and almost require laugh tracks to coerce people to keep watching for things to come.
The movie has no heart. Characters are not motivated by a consistent, comedic premise. The writer tries to carry plot, character and theme with witty dialogue alone. Unfortunately, the wit is banal.
In the old movie "Roxanne," Steve Martin wrote a line that would have been good advice to the writer of this film. It went something like this: "If you're going to say something,' here's an idea, "have a point!". "Baby Mama" has no point.
I'll hesitate before I see another Tina Fey movie unless she writes it. This movie plays to her flaws and not to her considerable strengths. She doesn't have the star power to be a romantic lead. She should let a real movie star do that for her and concentrate on keeping a tight grip on the material instead. She's a great comic screenwriter and is a blast in SNL TV skits. Why not stick with her talents? |
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