5 reviews
- mark.waltz
- Apr 18, 2023
- Permalink
This made-for-TV movie certainly has its corny and melodramatic moments and there are some aspects that seem dated, but there are enough laughs and enough good acting to make up for it.
Anna Kramer (Colleen Dewhurst), a busy 46-year-old homemaker, has a lot on her plate: planning a trip to Vienna with her husband (Warren Oates), finding out that her middle child (Al Corley) has been kicked out of college and is living with a girlfriend she's never met, trying to keep the peace between him and her husband, dealing with her critical mother, and more. In the midst of all this, she's feeling "weird." A pharmacist gives her a wink when she describes her symptoms and a visit to her doctor confirms her suspicion that she is pregnant.
Something of a family crisis ensues after this news spreads. Anna's dumbfounded best friend (Allyn Ann McLerie) is no help. Her husband Michael states unequivocally that he does not want another child and instructs her to have an abortion. Sharing his opinion is their oldest child, Elizabeth (Maggie Cooper). Elizabeth and her doctor husband pressure Anna, claiming health concerns, as does Anna's mother Serena (Mildred Dunnock). Her older son is supportive, but admits he thinks having the baby is a crazy thing to do. Timothy Hutton (as younger son Jason) is Dewhurst's only equal in this movie, and his character is the only one who seems to care about his mother's feelings.
When Anna gets past the initial shock and has a chance to think about what SHE wants to do, she finds she is inclined to have the baby. She is able to see the baby on ultrasound (fairly newfangled when this movie was made) and after that, she is sure she can't possibly have an abortion. Michael, who is ready to have all the kids out of the house and his wife to himself, gives Anna the ultimatum of the baby or him. Not wanting to see her marriage end, she decides to get away by herself to think and doesn't tell anyone where she's going. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as the cliche goes, and this holds true for Anna's family members, who see the error of their ways during her little hiatus.
Will they find her? Will she come home? Will she forgive them? Aaaahhhh!! The suspense!! Not really. It is pretty obvious that this movie is destined leave viewers with a warm, fuzzy feeling when it's over. But, that's OK. At least this is a show that isn't trying to be any more than what it is.
Anna, who's the kind of mom everybody wants, is smitten with her husband (even if Oates does portray him as largely an insensitive jerk) and crazy about her kids. She's also the kind of gal who appears to get her own way most of the time. In spite of this, she's a highly likeable character, Ms. Dewhurst plays her with great sensitivity and depth, and there's enough humor in the script to offset some of the trite and hopelessly sappy parts. The film raises some interesting issues and the characters rise above the usual cardboard cutouts on TV. A young Timothy Hutton definitely deserves an honorable mention as the kindhearted but somewhat offbeat youngest kid in the family.
Anna Kramer (Colleen Dewhurst), a busy 46-year-old homemaker, has a lot on her plate: planning a trip to Vienna with her husband (Warren Oates), finding out that her middle child (Al Corley) has been kicked out of college and is living with a girlfriend she's never met, trying to keep the peace between him and her husband, dealing with her critical mother, and more. In the midst of all this, she's feeling "weird." A pharmacist gives her a wink when she describes her symptoms and a visit to her doctor confirms her suspicion that she is pregnant.
Something of a family crisis ensues after this news spreads. Anna's dumbfounded best friend (Allyn Ann McLerie) is no help. Her husband Michael states unequivocally that he does not want another child and instructs her to have an abortion. Sharing his opinion is their oldest child, Elizabeth (Maggie Cooper). Elizabeth and her doctor husband pressure Anna, claiming health concerns, as does Anna's mother Serena (Mildred Dunnock). Her older son is supportive, but admits he thinks having the baby is a crazy thing to do. Timothy Hutton (as younger son Jason) is Dewhurst's only equal in this movie, and his character is the only one who seems to care about his mother's feelings.
When Anna gets past the initial shock and has a chance to think about what SHE wants to do, she finds she is inclined to have the baby. She is able to see the baby on ultrasound (fairly newfangled when this movie was made) and after that, she is sure she can't possibly have an abortion. Michael, who is ready to have all the kids out of the house and his wife to himself, gives Anna the ultimatum of the baby or him. Not wanting to see her marriage end, she decides to get away by herself to think and doesn't tell anyone where she's going. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as the cliche goes, and this holds true for Anna's family members, who see the error of their ways during her little hiatus.
Will they find her? Will she come home? Will she forgive them? Aaaahhhh!! The suspense!! Not really. It is pretty obvious that this movie is destined leave viewers with a warm, fuzzy feeling when it's over. But, that's OK. At least this is a show that isn't trying to be any more than what it is.
Anna, who's the kind of mom everybody wants, is smitten with her husband (even if Oates does portray him as largely an insensitive jerk) and crazy about her kids. She's also the kind of gal who appears to get her own way most of the time. In spite of this, she's a highly likeable character, Ms. Dewhurst plays her with great sensitivity and depth, and there's enough humor in the script to offset some of the trite and hopelessly sappy parts. The film raises some interesting issues and the characters rise above the usual cardboard cutouts on TV. A young Timothy Hutton definitely deserves an honorable mention as the kindhearted but somewhat offbeat youngest kid in the family.
- amjets0912
- Jun 25, 2003
- Permalink
I don't watch a steady diet of TV movies but I often watch them for the actors of which I try to complete all their movies. And since AND BABY MAKES SIX was available on YouTube I knew that I had to see it some day, and when I did last June I liked more than what I was lead to with the overall score.
Anna and Michael Kramer (Colleen Dewhurst and Warren Oates) are married and with three children. Problems are behind the corner when Anna is suddenly pregnant; she wants the baby but her husband is not interested in raising another kid. Their now adult children, along with their friends, all have their views on this. The Kramer's marriage is put to the test until she finally delivers and the husband will accept him.
The acting was great by all. Dewhurst played the part of the mom that doesn't care to have another child in her household well, and Oates, despite is a familiar face of westerns, is good tho as her husband. The other cast members (including veteran Mildred Dunnock and a then-unknown Timothy Hutton in his debut performance) were good as well.
Overall, another worth-watching TV movie even tho I assume that it must have raised some eyebrows for the subject of a 46 year old woman pregnant.
Anna and Michael Kramer (Colleen Dewhurst and Warren Oates) are married and with three children. Problems are behind the corner when Anna is suddenly pregnant; she wants the baby but her husband is not interested in raising another kid. Their now adult children, along with their friends, all have their views on this. The Kramer's marriage is put to the test until she finally delivers and the husband will accept him.
The acting was great by all. Dewhurst played the part of the mom that doesn't care to have another child in her household well, and Oates, despite is a familiar face of westerns, is good tho as her husband. The other cast members (including veteran Mildred Dunnock and a then-unknown Timothy Hutton in his debut performance) were good as well.
Overall, another worth-watching TV movie even tho I assume that it must have raised some eyebrows for the subject of a 46 year old woman pregnant.
- bellino-angelo2014
- Aug 10, 2023
- Permalink
Middle-aged Colleen Dewhurst is shocked to discover she is pregnant - she thought those days were over - but decides in the best interests of TV drama that she wants to keep the baby. Her family worry about the effect it will have on her health. But then, they're nicely settled, aren't they? They wouldn't want a newcomer... but they claim they're only advising in mom's best interests.