Movie Review: What to Expect When You're Expecting

The much anticipated What to Expect movie is finally available! The romantic comedy touches on various pregnancy scenarios, such as accidental pregnancy, miscarriage and adoption. Click here for a description of the plot.

I am a huge fan of the What to Expect books. When I heard that the movie was coming out, I was intrigued. Finding out that Cameron Diaz was starring, I was slightly disappointed though. Her characters are so predicable and one dimensional. But hey, I wasn’t going to let that stop me from watching the movie.

Hubby and I went during a Stars and Strollers viewing. If you haven’t attended one of these yet, you need to schedule yourself in. The tickets are discounted, the room is equipped with a change table, the lights are dimmed but not completely off, and the sound is lowered to a baby-friendly volume. It was really nice to be in the company of other moms and babies. Hubby was the only guy in that theater that day but he didn’t seem to mind. It was the first time he had seen this many babies in one room. It was a pretty neat experience. He even suggested that we should do this again next week. Hubby said he’d much rather to sit through a movie with cute crying babies than with annoying whining teens. I concur.

Back to the movie review…

I was pleased to learn that Cameron Diaz’s character was not the star of the show. The movie focuses on the lives of four very different women who are about to embark on a new journey into parenthood. The audience will see the different perspectives and have a chance to understand the difficulties faced by the characters in their situations. Some of the characters appeared stereotypical, and situations were over-sensationalized. But the message was not lost: Pregnancy is everything and nothing you’ve expected. Life is full of surprises, sometimes good, sometimes bad. If you’ve gone through pregnancy yourself, you will have a greater appreciation for this movie than those who haven’t yet. It brought back memories of my own trial and tribulations through pregnancy. It made me realize how fortunate I am that everything had turned out fine.

The movie also gave us a glimpse into the lives of the “house-husbands”. It was the perfect balance between humour and honesty. It was the complete opposite to the career-driven men that we recognize. The men in the movie were the caregivers. They exchanged feelings. They reveal to the audience that deep down inside, men enjoy parenthood just as much as women. Ah ha, we’ve always suspected that, didn’t we?

Overall, I really did enjoy the movie. The movie is refreshing, silly, fun and relatable especially if you are a parent yourself. Check your local listings for show times and locations. Make it a date - take hubby out for a dinner and movie! If you are still looking of ideas for Father’s Day, this is a fantastic idea.