Baby Boom

Starring: Diane Keaton, Sam Shepard, Harold Ramis, Kristina Kennedy, Michelle Kennedy, Sam Wanamaker, James Spader, Pat Hingle
Directed by: Charles Shyer
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Romance
1987

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A career woman's (Diane Keaton) life is turned upside down when she inherits a baby from her cousin. The unexpected intruder changes her life in ways she couldn't imagine.

Review:

Tim: Baby Boom is a pretty decent 1980s comedy. It was fun to see a film focused on women in the workplace during this time. While much of it seems quaint and ancient today, it's pretty fascinating to think about the ramifications. While not overly memorable, the movie is entertaining and enjoyable to watch. It certainly could have been better here and there, but overall, it's fairly fun movie.

The main driving force of much of the drama has to do with a strong career woman trying to adjust to a baby in her life. It's pretty amazing to think about how women in the workplace were treated at this time period. People continually mention that no one can "have it all", meaning a successful career AND be a mother. In the late 1980s, women were still coming to terms with their place in the workforce. While things are different today, some of the same principles still do apply. I like to think we've evolved past where we were regarding gender in the workplace as depicted in this film.

Diane Keaton is really the biggest reason why this movie works. She gives a strong performance and carries the movie. We believe she's an intelligent, driven professional who always puts work first. It's interesting to see how her priorities change throughout the course of the movie. Her transformation is definitely the most fascinating aspect of the film.

I love the idea of a career woman suddenly having to deal with a baby, but I didn't love the circumstances of how little Elizabeth entered her life. I know the 80s were a crazy time, but it felt a bit forced to have a baby shoved into her arms at an airport, with only the smallest amount of paperwork. It just didn't seem realistic. Still, the bigger challenge was setting up a reason for her to actually keep the baby. I wondered how they would handle this, and how realistic it would appear. The film actually does a good job of slowly moving Keaton from despising the interruption to actually willing to make a sacrifice to care for the baby. If this transition didn't work, it could have ruined the movie. Luckily, it does.

The supporting cast is decent. Sam Shepard is a decent love interest, although I wasn't overly impressed with his performance. I never really believed that he and Keaton would be interested in each other. I just didn't see any spark or chemistry. I did love seeing Harold Ramis in a small role, and he has a few good moments. James Spader was fun to see in a small role as well. The cast has some decent names in it, but not everyone gets a real chance to shine. The movie is really about Keaton.

The story was pretty interesting. I expected it would be "career woman cares for baby, finds way to succeed at both". The real story was much different than I imagined. Keaton faces some real set backs in her professional and personal life, before finding a unlikely, surprising passion. I thought this storyline was a bit unexpected, but it kept the movie interesting. The writers certainly could have gone a more conventional path. It does on occasion seem a bit convenient, but at least it's somewhat intriguing.

I will say that at 110 minutes, the movie feels a bit too long. The story and the characters are compelling, but the film needed to clock in closer to 90 minutes. There's a few stretches where my interest seriously began to wane before the movie captured it again. There's certainly scenes that seem to drag on a bit too long. A more closely cropped movie would have kept the audience's attention more.

Despite some real flaws, Baby Boom is still a fun 80s comedy. Despite a few tough stretches, I really enjoyed watching this film. It is not one that I heard about or knew anything about before watching, but it's certainly worth your time. This is the kind of movie that reminds me that for all my movie knowledge and experience, there's a whole huge world of movies out there just waiting to be discovered. I better get busy watching!



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Something's Gotta Give, Father of the Bride, Three Men and a Baby