Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Universal Studios Home Entertainment – 99 mins – 2008 – Rated PG-13 – 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85: 1 – DTS-HD Master 5.1 Audio

 In its 33 years on the air, Saturday Night Live has launched the careers of many guys, such as Eddie Murphy, Bull Murray, John Belushi, Mike Myers, Will Ferrel, and Adam Sandler, just to name a few; but the women of SNL have never really had a chance to shine. Things seem to be changing with this generation’s Saturday Night Live, thanks to the female duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Both of them leaped over the boys and took the spotlight on TV, and now they’re hoping to transition that energy on the big screen with Baby Mama. With the current explosion of frat boy comedies from the Judd Apatow entourage, Baby Mama goes the other way and sticks to the PG-13 formula, going after the female audience. Universal Studios Home Entertainment gives birth to Baby Mama on Blu-ray, and while it’s not perfect, it does have its funny moments.

THE MOVIE

Tina Fey stars as Kate Holbrook a hardcore businesswoman who has had no time to start a family or maintain a steady relationship; but now that her biological clock is ticking, and after learning it may be difficult for her to have her own child, she decides to seek a surrogate. Through an agency she is paired with Angie Ostrowiski (Amy Poehler), a non-achieving epitome of trailer trash and her sidekick husband played by Dax Shepard, who are only doing this to get some fast cash. Even though these women share nothing in common, the unborn child is the one thing that bonds them to build a friendship. But certain discovered events change the way the plan should go, making the women learn more about themselves and the changes that need to be made in their lives.

Baby Mama has a good cast, and obviously the teaming of Fey and Poehler is the standout; but the supporting cast of familiar faces that include Sigourney Weaver, Greg Kinnear, and a shinning performance from Steve Martin as Fey’s free spirit boss, who is a cross between Donald Trump and Rick Rubin. As you would expect from the Fey/Poehler pairing, Fey obviously plays the straight-man (uh, person), allowing Poehler to do her thing. Poehler has demonstrated her comedic talents for years on SNL, so you those who have seen her will know what to expect from her wide range of antics. She is very funny in this film, and you can see how the other actors just stand aside and let her take the stage.

Even though the film has high points, these all occur in the first half of the movie, because by the time the film reaches its finale, it becomes loaded with predictable clichés that may leave you somewhat disappointed. It’s surprising that Tina Fey didn’t have any involvement with the screenplay. Being that she was the head writer for SNL and wrote Mean Girls, it would have been interesting if she did a rewrite of the screenplay herself. Director Michael McCullers handles the material well, but he doesn’t take any risks, making the film feel like watching a 99-minute sitcom. The way the film concludes is too neat and it would have been interesting if they went for a more edgy ending.

Overall, Baby Mama will make you laugh at times, mainly because of Poehler, but it’s a one shot film with no real reason to re-watch it again. This is blatantly a “chick flick,” but after more edgy films aimed at women like Sex and the City, Baby Mama feels very flat. It would be good to have Fey and Poehler re-team in another film, because they do work well together, but if this were to happen Fey herself should write the script because she knows how to draw her own style as well as Poehler’s. Baby Mama is worth a look, but unless you’re trying to impress a girl on a first date, or be nice to your mother by watching it with her, there’s really not much here for the guys.

VIDEO

Baby Momma offers full 1080p resolution with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and though it’s acceptable it will not blow you away. There are a lot of brightly colored scenes, so this is a benefit to the transfer. Skin tones look even and blacks are decent enough, but even though I haven’t seen the DVD version, I can’t imagine the difference being enough to make you buy the more expensive Blu-ray. Baby Mama’s image quality doesn’t offer any splash and dazzle, but it fine for what it is.

AUDIO

With a DTS-HD Master 5.1 audio track, Baby Mama sounds fine, with a steady level of dialogue and sound effects. Rear speakers are used well for crowd scenes, but other than that everything else sounds basic. There’s not much too complain or comment about, because the sound is acceptable, without overdoing it.

EXTRAS

Baby Mama is very limited in the extras department, there’s an audio commentary track with director Michael McCullers, producer Lorne Michaels, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The ladies do say some funny things, but there’s really nothing to keep you fully entertained.

Universal’s U-Control allows you to enable Picture-in-Picture features to get a look at some behind the scenes footage, interviews, etc.

BOTTOM LINE

Baby Mama falls into the cute category, but if something else distracts you, you would instantly look elsewhere. The Blu-ray itself has good image and sound quality, but the bonus features are lame. If you’re a fan of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, you will most likely enjoy this film. But if you’re expecting something above the level of a sitcom, you may want to give this one a rent first.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 2.5

Video: 3.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 2.0

Bottom Line: 2.5