Baby Mama

Stars: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, Steve Martin, Sigourney Weaver, Maura Tierney, Holland Taylor, Romany Malco

Director: Martin McCullers

A conventionally structured but amusing and engaging romcom, with US TV comedy star Fey as Kate, the upwardly mobile VP of an organic food company who, at 37, suddenly finds her maternal clock ticking.

Alas, she has no husband, and in vitro treatment is a no-show. Surrogacy seems to be the last resort, and the off-the-wall agency head ((Weaver in one of her scene-swallowing comic cameos) recommends trailer trash Angie (Poehler, mysteriously top-billed in the credits) who leaves her slacker partner (Shepard) and moves in with Kate.

While Kate tries to keep her odball boss (Martin, in a turn that starts funny but grows less so with familiarity) sweet - on her - and Angie off junk food, her tenant - who has forged the pregnancy to get Kate's cash and now feels bad - has a liberating effect on her. Kate lets her hair down at a disco and her defences down with the local juice-bar owner (given warmth by Kinnear's easy charm).

There are enough funny lines - Kate's told, on announcing her 'preganancy', 'It's gonna be a girl: that's what's making your hair so dry' - to see this through to an entirely expected conclusion, after Angie has tugged at our heartstrings with her reaction to Kate's insulting her on learning the truth. Likeable performances, good fun.

David Quinlan

USA 2008. UK Distributor: Universal. Technicolor.
99 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 12A.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 0.

Review date: 24 Jul 2008