Baby Mama - Angie

Baby Mama stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and is the tale of Kate, an aging, single executive with a T-shaped uterus yearning for a screaming, pooping, puking spawn of her very own.  Angie is an aspiring designer with a useless common-law husband whom she leaves to move in with Kate.  Kate's controlling nature and Angie's childishness are a recipe for disaster, right?  Well, the story doesn't go very smoothly, with Angie initially lying about carrying Kate's embryo, then finding out she's pregnant after all, only it's got her DNA and not Kate's.  This is a tricky movie for my blog, because Kate and Angie's dynamic isn't exactly a traditional friendship - Kate is paying Angie for a service, essentially outsourcing her pregnancy.  They are an unlikely pair, friendship wise, because of their drastically different upbringings and social expectations.
Oh, wacky comedy chick flicks.  I think there was a great opportunity for the filmmakers to address the issues of classism and privilege, but it's all glossed over to make way for a lot of jabs at Tina Fey's weight (which, hello, she's gorgeous and has a great body), and delivery room drama.   Naturally, there is a happy ending for Kate, who discovers she is pregnant at the birth of Angie's child.  The movie is pretty low-brow, a female-driven Apatow-style film, but there are definitely some interesting issues raised with regards to societal pressures and the expectations put on women.  There are definitely some positive messages, however, in that Kate's desire to have a baby is her own and not based on her mother's demand to have grandchildren.  And, it is pretty realistic when addressing the choice between family and career that women are expected to make. It is positive that Kate takes charge of her situation, but not all women can, and many women from less privileged means will have children and still have to work anyway in order to provide for them.  Motherhood is not an easy path for any woman to take on because it means sacrificing one's life for another.  In some way, women are expected to drop something that is important to them, be it a high-paying, satisfying career or even time with their children if they cannot manage with only one income, or are single parents.  It's a pretty serious conundrum and not one that I plan on facing at any point in my life.  I wish this movie had done more to address these issues, but alas, we can only expect so much from Hollywood.

Angie's unique perspective is probably the most important influence on her relationship with Kate.  She eschews organic foods and pre-natal vitamins.  She is completely inept at opening the child-proofed toilet (and generally offers some pretty silly, physical laughs at her own expense).  She "discontinued" high school and seriously devalues her own worth as a woman and human being.  She allows Carl (Dax Shepard) to convince her that surrogacy is a good idea, and then when it doesn't take, convinces her to lie to Kate so they can continue collecting checks.  Angie does feel remorse for misleading Kate, who is so excited at the prospect of a baby of her own.  Kate is so accommodating and supportive of Angie's interests and aspirations outside of the pregnancy, it seems almost as if Angie is Kate's daughter, rather than her friend or employee.  They sing along to Madonna together, Kate letting down her hair a bit, and Angie does give Kate a clubbing makeover, which was kind of novel - usually the beta will be subject to a makeover.  But I guess Angie does kind of go through a makeover, at least mentally.  In the courtroom where they find out the results of the maternal DNA test, Angie makes a sweet little speech that shows a nice change in her attitude towards herself and Kate:  "This whole thing... made me feel so important... I also want to thank you.  I didn't like it sometimes but you made me grow up.  I know I was supposed to help you have a baby, but you ended up teaching me how to be a mother... She'd be a great mother, your Honor... kid wouldn't get away with shit!"  This amount of self-awareness is quite impressive, and a great show of respect from Angie to Kate.  We never get quite a reciprocation like this from Kate, however, she is there for Angie when she gives birth.  Somehow, despite the ups and downs and general lack of shared life experiences outside of the surrogacy shenanigans, these two women have formed a friendship.

Memorable quotes:  "He never asked me to be his wife but her also never asked me not to be his wife, so things are going pretty good."  "Can I just spray a little PAM down there right before the baby comes out?"  "It feels like I'm shitting a knife!"