Baby Mama (2008)

30++ year old, single, uptight, business woman Kate Holbrook (played by Tina Fey) starts to hear her biological clock ticking like a timebomb. The only problem? Her "T" shaped uterus. As a last, viable option, she looks into surrogacy, and decides, despite the costs and stigma, to go ahead. The agency matches her up with fertile, and immature, Angie Ostrowiski (played by Amy Poehler), and through a series of happenstance and plenty of colorful characters, the two learn how to grow up, and loosen up.

Okay, that summary really doesn't do this film justice. It makes it sound like a cheap, schlocky, blow-off mini-comedy. Which I was about ready to write this film off as. I'm really glad I didn't. Michael McCullers, who's more known as a writer for SNL, and the Austin Powers movies, to name a bit of his work, directed and wrote this film, and I have to hand it to him. He knew his leads, and did a great job of bringing the laughs out of them. It probably helps that Fey and Poehler are ridiculously old friends dating back to their time together at Second City. But still, he knew how to create a great backdrop for the two to play in.

There are some great surprise actors in this film. Steve Martin is always a treat to watch on screen, and he had some great lines as Kate's boss, Barry. Also, Sigourney Weaver is a great laugh as the head of the surrogacy clinic, Chaffee Bicknell. Plus Dax Shepard as Angie's common-law husband, Carl Loomis, Maura Tierney as Kate's sister, Caroline, and Greg Kinnear as Kate's love interest, Rob Ackerman. A great cast, where even the bit parts play well with the leads.

Seriously, Fey and Poehler work so well together. I had plenty of genuine laughs from the two of them. Fey had said in an interview that this was as close as we would ever see them play Laverne and Shirley, and I definitely see why she drew that parallel. They really know how to give and take. This film wouldn't have worked without that, and I'm glad they were able to monopolize on it.

Give this film a whirl if you haven't already. There are some great laughs. Even ones you don't see in the trailer.