MOVIE REVIEW: 'What to Expect' a fun, but predictable chick flick
The new chick flick “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” wasn’t what I was, well, expecting.
While entirely predictable, it proved to be a cute and enjoyable movie that kept me laughing.
The film follows a new style made popular by “Valentine’s Day” and “New Year’s Eve”: tell the stories of several couples, while loosely tying them together in one setting.
And by “loosely tie,” I mean they were really stretching it.
One passed another while driving down the street, and another happened to be in the same bar as another.
Luckily, the best jokes were left out of the preview. The audience laughed throughout most of the movie, thanks to one-liners that made us forget the pitiful trailer.
Sure, some scenes were disturbing. I really didn’t have to see the innocent dad from “The Parent Trap,” Dennis Quaid, play an arrogant ex-racecar driver married to someone younger than his son.
But, that added to the fun of the movie. The son was entirely uncomfortable, and the audience sympathetically laughed along.
I also appreciated the various aspects of starting a family that were addressed in the movie.
One couple was infertile. Another tried unsuccessfully for months.
There was an adoption and a miscarriage.
One woman had an easy pregnancy. Another was miserable the entire time.
However, my main complaint is the message the film gave about unmarried couples having a child. I’m not against it, but a more accurate depiction would have been better.
In both cases, the fathers had an active role in the pregnancy. This is not always the case, and it can give an incorrect message to young girls: If a girl gets pregnant, the guy will stay around and help out.
There have been many cases where this doesn’t happen. Sure, the movie showed the emotional turmoil the girl can go through, but it still seemed to be too perfect to happen in real life.
Although, it is a Hollywood movie we’re talking about.
All in all, the movie was enjoyable. It wasn’t the type of movie I had to think deeply about in order to understand. It was the perfect escape from reality we all sometimes need.
Rating: 2 out of 4 stars.
