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I dont' know what this movie is called, I just caught the rather dumb plotline. and here it is:

Basically, a girl wants kids but cannot get pregnant no matter how hard she tries. A single wannabe mom, too, I believe. So what does she do?

logical choices
A) Give up and be grateful you're infertile
B) Marry someone with kids, possibly.
C) Adopt

nope, she gets some (no offense) dumb blonde teen girl to get pregnant and have a baby for her... The girl looks like a ditz and it's basically another movie that goes down the road of pregnancy and all the "humor and joy" while, I imagine, avoiding the trauma and pain associated with it.

Seriously, I can barely stand teen pregnancy movies as it is, but someone getting pregnant on purpose for someone else? -_- This goes too far. This plain crosses the line. I think that this only furthers the media stereotype that all girls should go out and be fertile. Opinions?

I'd probably see it if Amy Poehler weren't in it. She isn't funny, and her character just looks like a crass ditz. Laaaame.

I'm tired of people putting pregnancy and parenthood on a pedestal. Could we put "adopting an orphan" on a pedestal? Please? I find it to be harmful selfishness; to sate your desire for "your own" child, or a little pink newborn, you pass up millions of existing children who need homes. Just because it's another choice doesn't mean that I have to like it.

Deformography: I agree; the children we have should be adopted out first. I cannot see why surrogacy is used instead of adoption...I wonder which a pro life person would support more?
Curiously, on a related note, they are definitely poking around this guild; one I know from the forums PMed me with the movie title and lead actress...
eek I was a bit freaked out.

*raises hand*

yes...me...

Surrogacy is usually used in cases where people want their own child, but lack the ability to carry it to term. Say what you will, but some people really just want the child to be theirs genetically. I'm not agreeing or disagreeing, but thats its purpose. The surrogate mother serves as a holding tank for the other woman's (and her sperm donor of choice whether it be her mate or a anon donor situation like it would appear this movie has) baby. Its not uncommon, and I remember that Phoebe on Friends did it for her brother & his wife. Sometimes thats what people have their heart set on, and again, its a choice.

As far as the trend, there have always been movies about having babies, pregnancy & parenting. Because they can be funny, truthful & still enjoyable. The other topics are usually going to be dramas, if they are the focal point of the movie. Like if a girl chooses to have an abortion, its all about her course of actions to make that decision, or dealing with other peoples opinion of her choice, or fighting for her right, or (god forbid) her regret. Or if its about adoption, its probably about some parents fight to adopt a kid. Its not really as lighthearted as pregnancy can be. While its a tad bit of glorifying pregnancy, there are just as many if not more movies that have NOTHING to do w/ babies. But its a subject many people can relate to in one way or another, whether they are or want to be parents some day, or know someone who is a parent, or who deals with kids.

Again, while strictly speaking prochoice is about bodily intergrity, I think we all agree its a bit more, including the choice of when to become a parent (if at all), and every time you want to put down a movie about pregnancy it makes it seem like we think no one should like pregnancy at all. I look forward to it! But its not for right now. So I enjoy movies about having babies.

Also, its not really a trend, there have always been these kind of movies. Like 9 Months, Look Who's Talking, etc. It just happens to be a situation people love to laugh about, because as a species, we love it. It's in our instincts, and statistically speaking, most people will probably become parents some day.
What I would actually find disturbing is if there was a trend of movies demonizing women who choose not to have kids ever. (Not even speaking about abortion but just being child free). That would be something to actually be concerned about.

What LadyInWhite said is absolutely true. We are living in a society where abortion, women's rights, and women's health issues are being attacked every day. Not to mention the rate of teen pregnancies is rising, because of a lack of comprehensive sex education. It's not that people here have a problem with pregnancy movies. There's nothing stopping someone from avoiding a movie. The problem lies with movies portraying this idealistic view of pregnancy. Now, it wouldn't be so bad if it was 'just a comedy', but look at movies like 'Juno'.

http://womensissues.about.com/od/teenpregnancy/a/JunoAntiChoice.htm



When you have a society that's trying to chip away at a woman's right to choose, force teens to seek parental consent when seeking abortions, denying teens access to contraception, and sexual education, all while hyping up pregnancy, how is that not a problem?

Here is another article about Juno, and it's unrealistic view of teenage pregnancy, and even mentions the lack of people of colour, and the way they're portrayed in the movie.



Pretty much sums up my views of these types of movies. I find it pretty convenient that the main character of 'Baby Mama' is a well off, white woman who can afford to have a stranger come live with her, and pay all of her bills, probably has maternity leave, and various other benefits just waiting in the wings. What about the women who feel pressured to have kids, but they can't afford fancy doctors, and classes? What about the woman who can't even afford their medical bills? What about the women who can't find a job, because they have kids, or they can't afford day care? Movies like these pretty much push aside the women who don't fit into the cookie cutter ideal these movies portray. We (Pro-Choicers) are trying to get things changed, but it's hard to get people to see just how bad things really are, when there are movies like this that say "Hey, why are bothering with that 'right to choose' stuff! Look at the cute baby, and happy happy fun times! There's nothing wrong with the way things are!"

Yeah, I agree with this completely, I just kept getting the feeling that what was being said was more "ugh pregnancy" rather than "ugh ideallic white people comedy about pregnancy."
But I agree, the number of girls that i graduated with (and this was only 4 years ago) that either had one (or more) kids when we graduated or have since then is shocking. I can't understand why any of them didn't just abort. I guess I'm lucky not to have the moral confusion about it thanks to my mom always teaching me to have an open mind about things, but while I found it a tough decision to choose to abort, I know it was the 100% right choice. One of my best friends DID have a daughter when she was 19, and it was the best thing to happen to her. But she got pregnant again a couple years later and aborted. And she has said that it was one of the smartest things she ever did. I too wish other girls realized what you're really doing when you choose to have kids, and I suppose that these movies aren't helping, but I've never seen them that way because I suppose I'm smart enough to not feel like that. :/

ETA: !!! I did just remember a pretty awesome movie about teen pregnancy. Its still a little bit "happy happy" but not all. Its mostly a drama, and you never actually see the baby, the movie ends before she delivers. It's called Quinceañera. It dealt a lot more w/ the emotional issues, especially about the relationship between parents, that a teen might deal with when she's pregnant. I liked it a lot. And its not about white people lol.

Yeah, while I'm also a little worried about the kind of message these movies might send, I also think that when people watch these kind of movies, they want to feel good about it, not a slap of reality about how much it sucks having a baby. Most people do see having a baby as a great blessing, and want to see things work out for people. I would like to see some more serious movies about it, but I really just don't think they would do real well at the box office. :/