Baby Boom

As anyone who has walked a mile or two knows, life is about choices and making decisions. And a lot of that has to do with realizing and setting priorities, because-- as a wise person once said-- You Can't Have It All. It's the lesson we all learn in our own way in our own time, according to our own personal situation, and director Charles Shyer examines one of them in his amiable comedy, `Baby Boom,' starring Diane Keaton.

J.C. Wiatt (Keaton) is a high-powered businesswoman on the fast track to success; she knows what she wants, has set her priorities, and a partnership in the firm for which she works is on the horizon. Her live-in significant other, Steven (Harold Ramis), is of a like mind-set, so they complement one another's life style perfectly. Marriage and/or having children is in neither of their respective vocabularies. then one day, J.C. `inherits' a baby, the child of a distant relative (a cousin she'd met only once) who has been killed in a tragic accident, and suddenly, J.C.'s world is turned upside down. Keeping the baby is out of the question, of course. Or is it? For J.C., it just may not be as simple as it seems, initially. She's been living life on her own terms, but now she is once again faced with choices, decisions and setting priorities. And along the way, she learns one of life's most important lessons: The fact that the lesson never ends.

There's some amusing moments and some insights to be gleaned from Shyer's film, and overall it's a pleasant, enjoyable experience. It is not, however, an entirely original idea, and Shyer laces it with stereotypes and cliches to boot. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though. If his characters are stereotypical, it's because they reflect a certain realism. J.C.'s boss, Fritz Curtis (Sam Wanamaker), for instance, typifies the image of a dedicated, hard-core businessman whom you get the feeling has to consult his day planner to work in an appointment with his own family. A stereotype? Perhaps. A reflection of reality? Definitely. The same can be said for Sam Shepard's character, Dr. Jeff Cooper, who personifies the general image of one in his situation. And again, it is a reflection of reality, stereotypical though it may be.

Even the cliches are handled in a way that makes them fresh enough to work within the context of the story, and be appreciated-- especially by those in the audience who may have experienced any of the situations presented here. When J.C. fumbles with a diaper and becomes frustrated with her own inexperience and incompetence with such things, it's cliche, but it also rings true-to-life. The important thing is, it's all well presented and actually pretty funny stuff, even if it isn't anything new.

Shyer wrote the screenplay, along with Nancy Meyers, and one angle they may have failed to cultivate fully has to do with Ken, the character played by James Spader. As J.C.'s in-house adversary, also striving to climb the corporate ladder, it may have been intrinsically more interesting had the character been a woman. The fact that Ken is a man, again, makes this particular situation fairly cliche; whereas a competitive conflict with another woman, considering J.C.'s predicament, would have expanded the avenues of possibility to a much greater extent, and certainly would have provided a more imaginative perspective.

The main reason the film works as well as it does, however, is because of the engaging performance by Diane Keaton. In J.C., she creates the antithesis of Annie Hall, but even at her most demanding there is a hint of vulnerability in J.C., a softness to that hard exterior edge she uses to shoulder her way through the business world. Keaton gives you a real sense of the conflict she's experiencing, and though it's lightheartedly rendered for the most part, you understand the underlying seriousness of it all. And the scene in which she vents her frustrations and bares her soul to Dr. Cooper is classic. Keaton's work is without question the highlight of the film, and what really brings it to life.

The supporting cast includes Pat Hingle (Hughes Larabee), Britt Leach (Verne), Kim Sebastian (Robin), Mary Gross) Charlotte, Patricia Estrin (Secretary)Victoria Jackson (Eve), Jane Elliot (Park Mom) and Linda Ellerbee (Narrator). An upbeat, entertaining film, `Baby Boom' may not be particularly memorable, but it does provide some laughs, and at the same time says something about the value of being given the opportunity to question the things we `think' we want. Kind of like saying `Never say never.' After all, who can say with any certainty where destiny may lead any of us? It's something a film like this may make you consider, inbetween the chuckles. It's the magic of the movies. I rate this one 7/10.

It's easy to be cynical about Baby Boom for all it's cuteness, cliches and high concept comedy about a 'yuppie' businesswoman juggling her career with looking after a baby after unexpectedly inheriting one from a distant relative. The soundtrack, power dressing, high energy and 'greed is good' attitude is all very 1980's and it's the perfect star vehicle for Diane Keaton.

She has of course demonstrated her sense of comic timing, on-screen presence and dramatic ability many times before whilst working with Woody Allen but it's nice to see Keaton come into her own here and carry the movie. With a good supporting cast and husband & wife team of Charles Shyer and Nancy Myers at the helm, who scored many hits with similar romantic comedies since, this is a sweet, lighthearted diversion in a similar vein to Three Men and a Baby released the same year.

The film is almost in two halves, the first half is set in the high rolling corporate world of New York, where Keaton's character is at the top of her game and making waves as a woman set to become a partner of a large corporation, whose lifestyle and career aspirations are thrown into turmoil when the baby comes into her life. The second half is where she retreats to the country after effectively being fired from her job in the City and sets up a cottage industry selling baby food that is so successful it brings her back to the corporate world on her own terms.

It is of course an unlikely scenario and more of an urban fairy tale but it is so likeable and good natured that you can overlook the cliches and spoonfuls of schmaltz it delivers and enjoy being swept along by Keaton's funny and charming performance.

J.C. (Diane Keaton) is a business executive with a fast-paced existence, including power lunches, serious hair and more. Her life is turned upside down, however, when a close relative dies and leaves J.C. in charge of a toddler girl. Suddenly, big promotions or assignments are not coming J.C.'s way and she decides to move to Vermont and be a stay at home mother. There, she meets attractive Dr. Jeff (Sam Shepard). However, her old house needs many repairs and she must make some cash. Will she opt to return to her former life?

This darling movie features Keaton at the top of her game. Her initial reactions to becoming a mother are hilarious. Shepard, also, does a fun turn as the one eligible bachelor anywhere in sight in the Vermont setting. Big corporations take a pretty severe beating as depicted in this film but it is all in fun. If you go to the library or video store and the hot new stuff is checked out, try to find this film instead. It is worthy of recognition among those who like romance movies and for those who think they don't.

One of my favorite movies of all time. Cute, cozy movie. Even the husband enjoys watching it. Just the right mixture of cuteness & comedy. I personally think it was one of Diane Keaton's best roles. I wonder what happened to the twins who played Elizabeth though. I'm sure they're all grown up now. Interesting to see what they've turned out to be. However, there are no other credits listed for them. Although I've seen the movie plenty of times, I never knew there was a television show spun off of it. And Joy Behar played Helga??? I'll have to see if there are any copies of the show floating around out there. Great movie, definitely one to add to your collection.

In New York, the executive J.C. Wiatt (Diane Keaton) is a successful business woman that prioritizes her work in a publicity agency over her personal life. Her boss Fritz Curtis (Sam Wanamaker) calls her tiger lady and invites J.C. to be partner of the agency provided she brings the account of the company owned by Hughes Larrabee (Pat Hingle) to the agency. One night, J.C. is sleeping with her boyfriend Steven Buchner (Harold Ramis) and receives a phone call from England telling that she has an inheritance something from her cousin that died in an accident with his wife. J.C. believes it is money but receives their daughter, the baby girl Elizabeth, instead. Soon she feels connected to the baby, turning her life upside-down: Steven breaks with her; her assistant Ken Arrenberg (James Spader) steals Larrabee´s account in the agency; and J.C. loses her job. She decides to buy a huge real estate in Vermont to raise Elizabeth and finds many unexpected problems in the old house. But soon she sees an opportunity to develop new business while she meets the veterinarian Dr. Jeff Cooper (Sam Shepard) giving another sense to her life.

"Baby Boom" is a funny comedy about a tough executive that changes her life after inheriting a baby girl. The plot has silly and exaggerated moments, but is hilarious most of the time. Diane Keaton has good performance and the baby Elizabeth is cute. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil):"Presente de Grego" ("A Curse in Disguise")