The Baby Dance

I agree with missygoldstein@aol.com about what kind of parents they would have made. I mean this speaks a lot about what kind of parents they would have made. What if they would have had a child of their own and later on it had health issues, would they abandoned it? Or what if the child they would have naturally was born with problems, would they give it away? What if this baby they were going to adopt that they decided not to in the end was healthy and later on developed a life altering condition? If you consider a child yours, it's not just yours when it's healthy, it's yours when it's sick and if they thought they would get a pure healthy baby when they mom smoked and didn't take her vitamins they were crazy. Also did they think they could adopt, love and raise any child and never face any health or medical issues? I guess it was suppose to be healthy and stay healthy until it went off to college then any health concerns were then the kids problem. It's like "Well, we raised you healthy, now your not so you're on your own."

What a refreshing experience to watch a film where simply superb acting tells the story. Overblown scenes of emotion are almost absent,despite the sensitive subject matter,and yet this has so much more effect. The film has a documentary like quality, which gave me the feeling that I was quietly accompanying the characters on their difficult journeys, as well as learning about different ways of life in another country & community. I felt that this film was not made with the intention to bias the viewer towards any particular party, each of whom had extremely difficult decisions to make & situations to deal with. I like it when I don't have to have 'the moral of the story' rammed down my throat & am left to open ended pondering, which lasts until long after the end of the film.

From time to time simply portrayed scenes of family life add beauty, contrast & poignancy to the story line. It may seem far removed, but 'The Baby Dance' reminds me of some of the finest examples of Iranian cinema, such as 'The Apple',where in the midst of seeming catastrophe, life goes on, children play...

I was pleasantly surprised that what I thought was going to be a rather trashy 'Tug of love baby' drama, turned out to be a moving & superbly crafted work,which I would like to watch again.

As a woman who lost her child to adoption 35 years ago, and who works voluntarily along with others for reform of adoption laws in Ireland, I found this film (shown on TV here last night) simply wonderful. I know that many previous message posters have commented on the "ugh ending", but I think that the whole point of the film was the carefully observed visual statements of all the characters, that the story continues, and will never end as long as they all live. Obviously, from my perspective, Laura Dern's face haunts me, as does Richard(Linklater's?)as they both sit in their clapped-out truck outside the hospital. I transpose their baby's face onto theirs. My ideal next scene if the film continued would see them bring their daughter home to join her brothers and sister. After all, was it ever suggested that they weren't loving parents? I'm surprised that other commentators on the film haven't stated the obvious - the golden kernel of The Baby Dance is the insightful screenplay and convincing script. I will be recommending this film to everyone I know.

I continue to be impressed with Laura Dern's range. i've been a fan since Enightened, but I wasn't totally aware of how much range she has, how warm she can make her characters, how natural despite not necessarily playing them subtlety. She's an amazing actress, and this is actually one of her finest performances that I've seen. It's full of great pathos, great expressions that sort of tell you everything you need to know while not saying anything explicitly, Her character here could've come across as a caricature for most of the running time with a lesser actress, but Dern instantly makes her relatable and likable, and sort of empathetic towards her. That's a truly great mark.

Wow. What can I say about a movie that was straight to cable? Most made for cable movies get a bad rap but this one is an exception. I was extremely touched by this movie, and super impressed by the performances of Laura Dern and Stockard Channing. I don't have any kids, and have never adopted, but I was touched by what went on in this film. It was a simple story, basic plot, that was wonderfully executed. Jodie Foster was executive producer.

Laura Dern plays Wanda, a trailer trash woman pregnant with her 5th child. Her and her redneck husband Al decide to give the baby up to adoption since they cannot afford any more children as they already have 4. Rachel (Stockard Channing) and her husband Richard are a well to do, classy childless couple that is eagerly waiting to adopt their baby. Until Wanda gives birth they are paying all baby related expenses whichs starts to become a problem once they start feeling used since Wanda seems to be using the baby as a bargaining tool for getting what she wants.

I will agree with the previous posts that the ending is sad, but extremely moving and it makes me cry every single time I see it. The song played at the end is beautiful.

Also anyone that has any knowledge of adoption,should know that adopting a white newborn is tough. The waiting list is years long sometimes which is why couples sometimes are forced to be a little un-selective when it comes to choosing white parents. I thought Laura Dern was awesome as Wanda. I can see how her double digit IQ, irresponsible lifestyle can bug some people but it happens all the time unfortunately.

Great movie.