by Missy Thompson
STAFF WRITER
Any woman who wants to be a comedian, writer or producer should watch everything Tina Fey does. Fey, who got her start as the first lead writer on the sketch comedy series "Saturday Night Live," is an incredibly funny woman who uses pertinent life situations and turns them into hilarious movies (see "Mean Girls").
The newest movie to feature Fey is the comedy "Baby Mama." The biggest downside to this film is that Fey didn't write it; Michael McCullers -- who penned the scripts to the "Austin Powers" movies -- did. "Baby Mama" marks McCullers directorial debut, which shows in a strangely messy ending.
The biggest laughs that this movie gets are ad-libbed lines by Fey and co-star Amy Poehler. All those years working together on "SNL" certainly paid off as they work well together and have a shining friendship that radiates off the screen. If only more ad-libbing had been allowed, "Baby Mama" would be funnier. This film is still entertaining and it might cause some women to want more children, where others -- like me -- want to put off having kids.
Steve Martin, who plays a quirky and earthy business owner, steals the show. Although his character was a little too much to handle at times, his screen presence was overwhelming. The entire cast worked well together and it is clear this isn't the last starring role for Fey.
"Baby Mama" is funny -- not in the laugh-out-loud hilarious way like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," but in a giggly way that will allow you to have fun. If it weren't for Fey and Poehler's on-screen chemistry, this film would not have worked nearly as well.
In "Baby Mama," Kate Holbrook (Fey) is a workaholic vice president for Good Earth foods. She's single, 37 and wants to have a baby. Nothing seems to work in her favor. She's tried insemination, but her T-shaped uterus makes it nearly impossible for her to conceive. And a single, career-driven woman, is not exactly what adoption agencies are looking for.
Kate decides on surrogacy as an option and goes to Chaffee Bicknell (Sigourney Weaver) for help. They set Kate up with Angie Ostrowiski (Poehler) who agrees to be her surrogate mother. Angie's husband Carl (Dax Shepard) and their off-kilter lifestyle initially put off Kate, but Angie eventually agrees to carry Kate's baby. After implantation, Angie tells Kate she's pregnant, then shows up at her door a few days later because of a huge fight she had with Carl. They get off to a rough start where Kate tries to get Angie to eat right and take care of herself. Weeks go by and Angie doesn't look pregnant, but Kate doesn't see the lack of baby bump.
Meanwhile, Kate's boss Barry (Martin) assigns her to find a new location for a store in Philadelphia. She stumbles into Super Fruity -- a Jamba Juice-like place -- where she meets Rob (Greg Kinnear) and asks him about the neighborhood. Unbeknownst to him, Kate is searching around for a good location.
Eventually, the truth is spilled to Kate's doorman Oscar (Romany Malco) that Angie isn't really pregnant, at least not with Kate's child. Carl had forged the pregnancy test, but because Angie was so upset, she looked to Carl for comfort and ended up getting pregnant anyway. This complicates the situation, especially as Kate and Rob start spending more time together. But because Angie lied to Kate it might be the end of their relationship.
"Baby Mama" is a cute and silly comedy that some will like and others will not. Either way, it is entertaining enough that you won't get bored. If you are a fan of Fey's previous work, you will appreciate this film even more.
missy@tooeletranscript.com
Grade: B-
Rated: PG-13
Time: 96 minutes
Opens Friday