Starring: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, Romany Malco, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Martin, Maura Tierney,

Directed by: Michael McCull

Universal Pictures

The Official Site of Baby Mama

Discuss Baby Mama on the boards!

When Baby Mama hit theaters last spring I was very excited about it. Like a lot of people, I’d spent the year before falling in love with Tina Fey’s comedic voice on her new show 30 Rock, and was eager to see how well that voice would translate to the big screen. I did the comic, I went to see the movie and then I quietly let the idea of writing a review for the film slip away. The excitement that came with the anticipation of the movie was not echoed in the film itself, leaving me uninspired and more interested in what was up next. This baby-crazed, odd couple, comedy couldn’t meet its potential. Or maybe it just couldn’t meet my expectations.

From the notes I scrawled in my notebook during the closing credits of the film over 6 months ago, the most telling is this one, “Have you seen the trailers for the Tina Fey Amy Poheler’s movie Baby Mama? Yeah? Then you’re good to go. Save your money to see Iron Man twice.� A little harsh but it’s true. TV spots for Baby Mama saturated NBC primetime with great gags of Poheler pissing in a sink and Fey Irish jigging in slow motion. Hysterical, but only the first 3 times you see them. It was at least 16 times for me by the time I watched it in context, and the charm was gone.

The only way the movie would have retained its spark is if I didn’t own a TV, and if that were the case then chances are I wouldn’t have know who these people were to begin with. These two ladies have definitely made a name for themselves on the small screen becoming two of the most powerful (and more importantly funny) women ever to perform on Saturday Night Live. Fey would use her head writer’s position to earn a spot on Weekend Update where she quickly became a show standout for over 6 years. Her time there was never as funny as when she was teamed behind the desk with Poheler. They were a natural pair that played off each other beautifully.

It makes sense they would take that chemistry to the next level with Baby Mama, a film that had them doing the impossible in creating a contemporary comedy duo with no Y-chromosomes. Women have always been funny, but buddy cop funny? Society was taken by surprise and started praising the all girl comedy team, even though they’d spent the past 15 years of their lives being funny alone and together just fine.

While the comedy in Baby Mama doesn’t have the same crisp and clever cadence I fell in love with on 30 Rock, Fey’s desperation to be a mommy, and Pohler’s being desperate enough to get pregnant, genuinely works. You believe them as characters and you sympathize with what they’re going through. This is hugely important in any movie, but I would have sacrificed believing the character of the doorman for a pure, perfect laugh. (Romany Malco is awesome as Oscar the doorman by the way.)

Most of the cast is awesome. I love Greg Kinnear as Mister Dreamboat and Steve Martin as whack-job, pnytail, boss man and even Dax Shepard as common law husband who only wants to get married if it’s a boy, but just because the casting is perfect doesn’t mean the comedy is going to hit.

Looking back at the movie now, a summer detached from a very aggressive marketing campaign, a few of those jokes that coulda/shoulda/woulda been classic, still cut me in all the wrong places, but… the movie holds together well and I’m finding laughs elsewhere, which is hugely exciting. I’m able to appreciate the film in a different way even if part of me is wishing it were something more or something different.

Maybe that’s just my problem though. Most people don’t watch, as much TV as I do so chances are every little sound bite that felt like fingernails on a chalkboard to me, was fresh and amusing to you. Maybe you were able to go in clean and enjoy the movie as intended, not comparing it to 30 Rock, Mean Girls or SNL. For me though, someone that became a fan and followed Fey to the big screen with a lot of hope, Baby Mama felt like the odd, weak episode of 30 Rock that you brush off assuming, “Eh – Next week’s episode will be better.� Then that next week you’re watching Iron Man or Made of Honor and nothing makes sense anymore.

Rating: 6 out of 10 - You’ve seen all the best parts in the previews but the movie is certainly worth a spin in your DVD box. More stuff works than doesn’t work and chances are this will hit all the right chords with the right audience. Parents, expecting parents, and haters of Jamba Juice should find a lot to love here.

I’m sort of on the fence right now wit this. Chances are I’ll snatch it up for 9 bucks a few months after its release, just out of respect for the talent. If I’m willing to pay over 30 dollars just so I can watch 30 Rock on DVD the day it comes out (even though they’re pretty much all up for grabs at NBC.Com) then I can certainly shell out a couple fins for Baby Mama.

Hey, gang. In an attempt to bring in some supplemental income, in hopes of giving me more time to focus on making more comics, I’ve decided to open up my flat file drawers and sell of some original art. This is something I’ve never done before despite some interest here and there. Tough times lead me to the decision of testing the waters to see how far that interest goes. If these sell well I’ll take another dip into the drawer to pull out some other goodies and possibly even do some custom art for sale.

For now though I’ve put together a collection of some of my favorite recent pieces, most of them haling from the current Matriculated storyline where I’ve been experimenting a lot with panel breaks in the storytelling. It’s allowed me to do some larger, lush, character shots which are always fun.

If you’re not reading Matriculated you’re missing out not only on Phil’s great writing but also a world where I’m more expressive with my art. I feel confined sometimes with my JLCM boundaries but I try as often as possible to take advantage of the freer format in Matriculated. Take a quick look through. For those of you that are fans, this is some of my favorite stuff from the series, and it’s all from one of the biggest storylines we’ve ever told.

I couldn’t make it all about Matriculated though, so I decided to toss in a sketch of Senator Palpatine to represent JLCM (people love that crazy old bastard) as well as a cast image I did special for this sale. PLUS… in hopes of spurring sales, the five folks that buy these pieces will get a free set of JLCM Buttons for their efforts. The real buy is the art, but what kind of purchase would it be if I didn’t toss in a freebie that you could walk around with?

Like I said, if this goes well I’ll open things up a little, but let me know what you think so far. Also, If there’s a specific strip you might be interested in owning, don’t be too shy to shoot me an e-mail.

JLCM Cast - A cast shot of the current JLCM line up including Joe, Yeo, Irv, King Leonidas, Senator Palpatine, Slow Billy, Faye the cat and Hello Kitty. Archival ink and pencil on 9x12" charcoal paper. 17.00 + S&H. Will ship Priority mail through the US Post Office. International shipping may require additional postage. SOLD

Matriculated #272 - Part 5 of the current story line where Steve first confronts Janette, even though she doesn’t necessarily think it’s a confrontation. Archival ink on 9x12" Bristol board. 25.00 + S&H. Will ship Priority mail through the US Post Office. SOLD

Matriculated #273 - Part 6 of the current story line where Janette catches on and starts to avoid the conversation. Archival ink on 9x12" Bristol board. 20.00 + S&H. Will ship Priority mail through the US Post Office. International shipping may require additional postage. SOLD

Matriculated #275 - Part 8 featuring the controversial layout! Archival ink on 9x12" Bristol board. 25.00 + S&H. Will ship Priority mail through the US Post Office. International shipping may require additional postage. SOLD

Palpatine Sketch - A large sketch of the popular character in his famous pose done as an incentive image. Archival ink on 8.5x11" Acid Free 28lb paper. 10.00 + S&H. Will ship Priority mail through the US Post Office. International shipping may require additional postage. SOLD

So there you have it. I hope there’s something there you like, and I hope there’s a new movie out this week that you guys like too because the theater has been a ghost town the past couple weekends. Seriously – tumbleweeds during the midnight screening of Bangkok Dangerous. There’s a full crop of movies coming on this Friday including a Coen Brothers comedy, a Tyler Perry drama, and the first real teaming of two acting Gods. Even though DeNiro and Pacino’s movie Righteous Kill is getting terrible reviews, part of me can’t help but be a little excited.

I remember when I first saw the trailer for it I though, “God, this is happening like 30 years too late.� Their scene and a half in Heat is all well and good, but these guys should have been making buddy cop movies and mob crime classics together once every 5 years or so since 1977. There’s no reason for it to have taken so long.

Is it too long? Are they too old? Will the back-ally rundowns be laughable as they take a break to rest an aching hip? Probably. It’s important to remember though that they got famous not just for making great movies but for being great in them, and as cool as they were kicking ass in The Godfather Part II, it’s the scenes where they actually talk that have kept them relevant. Here’s hoping Righteous Kill isn’t just one conversation after another about how old and tired they are.

Hey, before I go, a quick reminder to stop by tonight at 10 for The Triple Feature! (Now with the bookmark ready URL www.thetriplefeature.com.) We’ll be talking about Bangkok Dangerous, Traitor, Hamlet 2, The passing of Don LaFontaine and why people have stopped going to the movies. It’s gonna be a packed show!

See you soon, guys!