BABY BOOM
A film review by Miriam Nadel
Copyright 1987 Miriam Nadel
By now you probably know the premise. Diane Keaton plays J. C. Wiatt, "The Tiger Lady," and a stereotyped yuppie marketing manager, on the verge of being promoted to a partnership in her agency. Then she inherits a baby from a distant relative. Ignoring the suspension of disbelief inherent in the way the movie shows the adoption process, J.C. ends up trying to be super-Mom--and still work 70 hours a week.
The plot turns on J.C. finding a clever way to deal with her situation. There is also a romantic interest, J.C.'s live-in lover having walked out once the baby came. Unfortunately, the ending is completely predictable by the middle of the movie, though it's still handled well.
The pluses--some very funny moments, especially those centering on yuppie cliches (e.g. J.C. learning about how important it is to get baby Elizabeth into the "right" pre-school), a nice conciousness of feminist values (which includes some indication of men as nurturing parents as well) and some nice scenery in Vermont.
The minuses--the baby is just a little too sweet, the plot is a little too pat, Diane Keaton is far too unbelievable in her "successful businesswoman" persona (unless you think that marketing executives stammer and giggle "gee, that's really great" when a potential promotion is discussed) and nobody in the cast had ever bothered to find out what a Vermont accent really sounds like.
Overall, the plusses outweigh the minuses. 3 stars.
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