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DVD/Blu-ray

What to Expect When You’re Expecting

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Released: 25th May 2012

Directed by: Kirk Jones

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Jennifer Lopez

Certificate: 12A

Reviewed by: Ben Harris

Another film with multiple storylines interlinking together, whilst throwing in a star studded cast. This time it’s not revolving around a celebratory day (Valentines or New Years Eve); it’s all about pregnancy and the troubles that come with it.

Every pregnancy cliché seeps through the script – the difficulties and easiness of having a bun in the oven, a miscarriage, adoption and of course tested relationships. Yes, they are relatable, due to the film being based on the pregnancy book of the same name, but ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ is smothered with predictable humour and underdeveloped characters, however it does have odd moments of amusement mainly thanks to the varied and beautiful cast.

Considering what she had to work with Elizabeth Banks relishes in the material. Her struggling ways and the comical banter with on screen hubby Ben Falcone serves as the best narrative drive. Wannabe adoptee Jennifer Lopez delivers a decent performance, as does Brooklyn Decker, surprisingly. The guys also do well, Chris Rock, Amir Talai, Thomas Lennon and Rob Huebel bring a possible likeability for male audiences, but yet again the supposable comedy from them doesn’t strike gold.

Each story relates to each other in some way but these connections come of lazy, and it’s obvious the film would benefit from some characters being abandoned all together, prompting the story to flow better and give adequate characters arcs.

As a full-blown comedy it doesn’t succeed but as a general light hearted film it works. ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ will charm it’s demographic but outside of that it may come across dull and unfunny.

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