By Guest Writer:  Susan Delia

Inspired by the best selling self-help pregnancy book, the movie  What to Expect When You’re Expecting takes a comical look at what unexpected things can happen when you’re pregnant. If you’ve been expecting before or know someone who has been, you’ll know that means anything goes. This all-star cast, including Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Dennis Quaid and Chris Rock takes you through the lives of five couples from conception through birth with laughs and heartaches along the way.

The experience of the five ladies shows you just a few flavors of pregnancy. There’s Wendy (Elizabeth Banks), owner of the baby store The Breast Choice, who has always dreamed of the wonderfulness of pregnancy. Instead she finds it’s not all the joy she expected between the bloating, hemorrhoids and loss of bladder control. Conversely, Skyler (Brooklyn Decker) has the perfect pregnancy and perfect body to go with it. Type-A personality Jules (Cameron Diaz) is a fitness guru and star of a hit reality weight loss show “Lose it or Weep”. Now she finds there are some things that she has no control over. Young entrepreneur Rosie (Anna Kendrick) finds herself pregnant after one night of passion. She has no idea what to expect so the book comes in handy. Then there’s Holly (Jennifer Lopez) who falls in love after the first look at her soon-to-be son, but shows that adoption has it’s own set of unique challenges.

Chris Rock and Tom Lennon

Instead of consulting self-help books for future fathers, expecting dad Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) finds advice from Dudes Club members Vic (Chris Rock), Gabe (Rob Huebel), Craig (Thomas Lennon), and Patel (Amir Talai). This group of super dads, armed with baby wipes and sippy cups, stroll their offspring through the park faithfully every Saturday. They live vicariously through single guy Davis (Joe Manganiello) who always has an adventure to tell. Even with dreams of what life might have been like if only their little people weren’t in their lives, they know they wouldn’t have it any other way.

I enjoyed the flow of the film that told individual stories, and tied them all together at the end. The opening scene had me belly laughing and set the stage for a funny movie that still had its serious moments. It’s not just a chick flick, so guys, hire a sitter and take your sweetheart to this one.

Final Grade: I give this movie a B+ for its humor and entertainment factor ★★★★★★

Additional Movie Information:

• Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Brooklyn Decker, Ben Falcone, Matthew Morrison, Chace Crawford, Rodrigo Santoro, Dennis Quaid, and Chris Rock
• Director: Kirk Jones
• Writer: Shauna Cross (screenplay), Heather Hach (screenplay), and Heidi Murkoff (books)
• Runtime: 110 minutes (1 hour and 5 minutes)
• MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, thematic elements and language.
• Genre: Comedy, Drama, and Romance
• Production Company: Lionsgate Entertainment
• Release Date:  May 18th, 2012
• Tags: Pregnancy, Adoption, Expectant Father, and Expectant Mother