Reg is a baker who dates aspiring models. Julia is a photographer who travels the world, not just for her career, but because she dates rock singers who go on tour. But their carefree lives may be about to change. 9-year-old Waylon (who was born nine months after his parents listened to Waylon Jennings) lost his parents several months earlier. Reg and Julia have been named his guardians in the parents' will. When they hear this news from a lawyer, they don't automatically turn down Waylon, but they are reluctant since they were never a couple. Their friends set them up and they dated--once. But for some reason Waylon's parents thought they would be perfect choices to raise their son.
Reg and Julia agree to the arrangement, and they pick Waylon up from Aunt Marie, who lives in a retirement village and is really too old to take on the responsibility (though she shows up later to offer advice). A judge decides Waylon should live in his parents' house, which has not yet been sold, and that Reg and Julia should take turns living with him, just as if they are divorced. A social worker is assigned to monitor Waylon's care. Reg and Julia do not get along, and they even argue over who will take the first night. But they care about Waylon and intend to do whatever it takes to make the situation work.
Numerous obstacles get in the way of this unconventional arrangement, including a couple of really big ones. Both Reg and Julia have to learn to sacrifice, and this presents problems for both. The questions to ask: will the couple (who aren't really a couple, but give them time) get to keep the child? Will they actually find that, despite their differences, they can be right for each other?
I liked Thomas Gibson on 'Dharma and Greg', and he plays a character with a similar personality here, except that Greg was uptight and had to learn to be flighty, and Reg has to learn how to be a responsible adult. Gibson does quite a good job here, and he and Poppy Montgomery have such a great chemistry. Montgomery also makes the most of her role. Both show signs that the couple could learn to get along, but they seem at their best when they bicker--which is often. Jeremy Bergman (Waylon) holds his own with these two talented actors, narrating at several points, and the three are great together in the scenes where all appear. Another great performance comes from the actress playing the judge. Reg's girlfriend and co-worker in the bakery comes across well too.
Doris Roberts did okay as Aunt Marie, but I never really felt strongly about her character. I genuinely detested Tina, the mother of Waylon's friend Sam, who seemed so perfect and criticized Waylon's new guardians at every chance (I'm not sure what this means about Tandi Wright's performance; perhaps this meant she was quite good). Her husband, by contrast, didn't seem like a superdad, but more like a henpecked husband. The narrator of the solar system documentary seemed to have taken lessons from Ben Stein.
The movie was really funny, helped along by musical styles that included polka, and by silly editing in several scenes. But it could also be touching.
To me, this was a real winner.
