BABY MAMA
A liberal family comedy better left for discerning adults at home.
Should You Watch It?
BABY MAMA has a promising comic setup and a talented cast. Tina Fey plays Kate, an organized career woman who wants a baby, while Amy Poehler plays Angie, the free-spirited surrogate mother whose arrival at Kate’s home sparks a battle of wills.
But the movie is less funny than it should be. Its characters are stereotypical, and much of the humor depends on one-liners. More importantly, its liberal feminist worldview treats unmarried pregnancy and career independence as natural goods, with marriage and fatherhood pushed to the side.
The film has some merit, but its content and worldview make it a poor family choice. If you are curious, wait to watch it at home—adults only, with discernment.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESKate, a 37-year-old vice president of a health foods chain, longs to have a baby but has no immediate prospects of finding a husband. After learning that artificial insemination is unlikely to work, she turns to a surrogate mother agency.
The agency pairs Kate with Angie, a blue-collar woman living with her permanently unemployed common-law husband, Carl. When Angie arrives at Kate’s doorstep, Kate’s carefully organized plans meet Angie’s free-spirited approach to pregnancy.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means BABY MAMA is watchable but falls short of the comedy its cast and premise promise. Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Greg Kinnear, Steve Martin, Sigourney Weaver and the rest of the ensemble provide plenty of talent, but none of the performers truly stands out except perhaps Steve Martin.
Martin gives a goofy performance as Kate’s superficial, New Agey boss. Even that performance sometimes relies on familiar shtick instead of real characterization.
The main weaknesses are the stereotypical characters and the reliance on one-liners. Better writing could have made the movie much funnier.
The Worldview
BABY MAMA presents a liberal, Romantic and feminist view of family life. It treats it as natural for unmarried women to have children and for career women to manage without a husband. The film’s supportive fathers are liberal and compassionate, but they do not necessarily want marriage right away.
That vision conflicts with the biblical picture of family. The source review says babies deserve the love of a mother and a father, within a real family united under God through Jesus Christ. The film’s emphasis on personal independence removes marriage and fatherhood from their central place.
The movie’s cultural perspective also reflects a broader political ideal of a society where career women are free to have babies with or without husbands. That conviction about family is one reason the film’s worldview is more troubling than its comic premise might suggest.
Scripture presents Jesus Christ as Lord over every person and every family: “he is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong liberal Romantic worldview with strong feminist ideology where women can have babies and not get married, but they can make it on their own with or without a male, but the most supportive fathers are liberal compassionate ones who don’t really want to get married right away but are extremely supportive of the single working mother; 14 obscenities, 12 light profanities (usually My God), woman gets sick into toilet, some crudities; no violence; implied fornication when unmarried woman stays overnight at man’s place and some light references to procedures regarding artificial insemination, surrogate mothering and a common law marriage; no nudity; alcohol use; brief smoking references and a drug reference; and, lying and deceit.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film presents motherhood, career, and marriage as separable choices. What does Scripture teach about God’s design for marriage and family?
Genesis 2:18–24 · Colossians 3:18–21What responsibilities do both a mother and a father have toward a child? How does Scripture describe the care children need?
Psalm 127:3–5 · Ephesians 6:4The story involves artificial insemination and surrogate mothering. What questions should Christians ask when new technology affects the creation and care of human life?
Psalm 139:13–16 · Proverbs 3:5–7The film includes lying and deceit. Why does truthfulness matter even when someone believes the outcome will be good?
Ephesians 4:25 · Colossians 3:9–10The Final Word
BABY MAMA has a talented cast and a promising premise, but weak writing and a troubling view of marriage and family keep it from being a good family choice. For discerning adults who remain curious, WAIT FOR HOME — ADULTS ONLY. For other options, see.
