Baby Mama

Maybe I was just bored. Or maybe I was just in the mood for a good laugh. But I decided to rent Baby Mama last night. And while it certainly was not one of the recently announced Oscar nominations, it made me laugh out loud. Tina Fey (aka Sarah Palin) is funny and really creative and plays the same basic character she plays on 30 Rock. But Amy Poehler is hysterical. Steve Martin also has a small role and is, as always, quirky and fun. So will this movie make you think and change your life? No way. But it might make you giggle and we all need that. - June

The Women

I hadn't read or heard anything about this movie so feared that, despite a cast of women whose performances I generally like, it might be disappointing at best. However, I really enjoyed it and think you will, too! Meg Ryan is still too cute (she can't help it), but how can you go wrong with a cameo by Bette Midler? And Cloris Leachman is her usual fine self, as is Annette Benning (who actually looks her age). I have trouble with Grace being anyone besides Grace, but Jada Smith was pretty funny--especially in the final scene. It's definitely a "chick flick." In fact, I don't recall even one man in the film unless you count extras on the sidewalks of New York!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Gump

Suddenly there are several movies I want to see, but all of them receive mixed reviews from the critics. So we throw out the reviews and go with the one that has the most interesting previews and the longest title... in this case, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. As we watched the movie, I just had this feeling that there was something familiar about it but I couldn't place what it was. Then as Benjamin's mother is giving him a little piece of wisdom about life... something like "You never know what life will bring", it hit me. "Life is like a box of chocolates!" This movie has similar characters and mood as Forrest Gump. At first I thought it was just a southern thing since both movies take place in the south and both sons call their mother "mama". But it's more than that. There's a sweet innocence to both characters, they both experience war, and they both even own boats. I mentioned this to G on the way home, and he thought I was crazy. But I did a quick search online when we got home and there are actually articles about the similarities so I'm not completely wacko. The good news is that I loved Forrest Gump. And I also liked Benjamin Button. But note that this movie is really long (almost 3 hours) so be sure to withhold any liquid intake for several hours prior to viewing.
-June