Review of What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012) by Jc E — 13 Sep 2012

Never read it, don't plan on it. (Still on the no child plan.) But for a movie based on a self-help book, it could have been worse. The ensemble cast actually has game - for the most part - and the multiple story lines actually tie together in a somewhat follow-able form, counter 'Valentine's Day'.

The standouts: Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games), Chace Crawford ("Gossip Girl"), Anna Kendrick (50/50), and Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids). The decent role-fillers: Jennifer Lopez (Ice Age: Continental Drift), Ben Falcone (Bridesmaids), Dennis Quaid (Footloose), Rodrigo Santoro (300), Rob Huebel ("The League"), Thomas Lennon (Bad Teacher), Amir Talai ("American Dad!"), and Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids).

The could-have-done-withouts: Cameron Diaz (Bad Teacher), Brooklyn Decker (Battleship), Chris Rock (Grown Ups), and Joe Manganiello ("True Blood"). The worst: Matthew Morrison ("Glee").

He and Diaz have an argument about who is the alpha and who is the beta. No argument necessary. It's obvious that Morrison is the beta - no matter what scenario we're talking about. Otherwise, the movie works for the most part.

It looks at pregnancy from just about every angle - easy pregnancy, hard pregnancy, adoption, and even miscarriage. It doesn't exactly have a pro-life message, but it doesn't celebrate the idea of abortion.

Also, it doesn't exactly have a pro-marriage stance, even though the majority of the players are married. It's pretty easy to follow, and there's plenty of gags. I'll just say that I appreciated it more than most guys, because the women - especially Banks - pretty much have no filter, and they reminded me of my sisters.

It's kind of bogged down with a lot of the tropes the plague romantic comedies, but for the most part, they're downplayed in lieu of the more comical pregnancy puns. A lot better than I expected (pun intended) it to be.