For our second film night of 2014 we are totally changing genre to view a film from 2012 and we have no idea what to expect from;
What to Expect When You're Expecting
Actually I think we did know what to expect; a film about pregnancy and how it affects the lives of the people that are going through it. I guess it can be likened to Love Actually with babies. Unfortunately, unlike Love Actually it wasn't that good. Hold on, let me clarify that, the female contingent of TNiFN towers enjoyed it, the lone male here, not so. And I am quite partial to a chick-flick, but I felt somewhat let down by this one.
Let me fill out sme of the finer details then continue with the critique. What To Expect When You're Expecting boasts a big cast, with some top names; Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Anna Kendrick, Dennis Quaid, Elizabeth Banks to name just a few. And maybe this is where it falls down, too many big names and not so much content? Essentially there are five couples each going through the process of becoming pregnant, or adopting, or accidentally conceiving, or considering a baby and the film interweaves their stories into each other as their paths cross and their lives progress.
Unfortunately, the storyline, although full and intricate, lacks momentum. The film is a romantic comedy, with touches of sentiment, but although there are laughs, they are not big enough to carry the film in my mind and the story relies heavily on supporting cast members to supply the funny lines and this is at least it's one saving grace. Both Chris Rock and Rebel Wilson provide the perfect comedic foils to the other cast members, dishing out some superb moments, which really injected some much needed punch to lift the film. The main cast although having some moments of levity, failed to deliver some killer comedy. Alongside which, apart from some odd moments, the main cast also failed to deliver even a modicum of gravitas. Even when there were scenes that required emotion, sentiment and some seriousness, they failed to capitalise on this fact and the audience may feel a little cheated that they were not drawn into the film as much as could have been possible. Yes, there are moments of sadness, but with quality chick-flicks they can take you from laughter to tears with one swipe of the screenwriter's pen, unfortunately, this did not happen here. It was good, but could have been so much better.
All in all, it's an OK film, but it failed to allow the big cast to deliver big performances. Obviously the female contingency in the audience will enjoy it much more, but I for one felt a little let down and as I'm the one writing the words. I get to have my say.
One sure fire test of a film's appeal is by the length of the TNiFN review. This one is a bit short.
TNiFN Rating 66%
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