The Babymakers

"When they said you couldn't have your sperm back they robbed you of your future and you have every right to go take it back." On their three year anniversary Audrey (Munn) and Tommy (Schneider) decide its time to have a baby. After months and months of trying they end up going to see a specialist. After finding out that he is the problem he freaks out until his friends come up with a plan. They decide to break in to the sperm bank and take back Tommy's deposit. I had pretty high expectations going in to this one and it's mostly my doing. I have been trying to watch movies without seeing the previews for them first in order to not have any preconceived ideas and I say the preview for this one a ton. I will admit that it was still really funny and worth watching but this is another movie where it seems like the funniest parts are in the previews. I'm not saying there are other funny parts because I did laugh throughout but overall I would have to say I was a little disappointed. This is still very much worth watching though. Overall, funny throughout but I was hoping for funnier. I give it a B.

One must approach a Broken Lizard film with the idea that the actors obviously have a lot of fun making these fun, energetic romps. Sometimes more than audiences like watching them. Broken Lizard hit a home run with me when I saw Club Dread, an inspired parody of slasher films with entertaining characters, and I found Super Troopers to be "fun, lively, and good-natured." These characteristics are totally absent in their latest flick, The Babymakers a dirty-minded, prepubescent comedy with repetitive jokes about semen, sperm banks, genitalia, masturbation, sex, you get the idea.

The Apatow-idea of "mixing heart with raunch" doesn't work here, because any attempt at humanity and sentiment is disregarded so things like sex puns and lame gags can take their turn on film. The leads are the laidback Paul Schneider and G4's gorgeous Olivia Munn, who are sadly not given much to do because the screenplay is so close-minded to nonsense. The two play Tommy and Audrey, a suburban couple who, after three years of marriage, are eager to start a family. After nine months of failed attempts, the two begin to question if one of them has a problem, whether it be Tommy with his sperm count or Audrey with her ovaries. Wow, took you nine months to realize that constant sex and no baby wasn't a good sign? I'd get nervous after attempt three.

They both get tested, and it is revealed that Tommy has a very low sperm count. One thing Audrey doesn't realize is that, in order to pay for an engagement ring, Tommy frequented a sperm bank twenty times for roughly eighty-five dollars in cold, hard cash each visit to pay for it. When she finds out, she's strangely disgusted and Tommy devises a plan with his pals (Kevin Heffernan and Nat Faxon) to try and stage a break in to the sperm bank warehouse to get the samples back. And she's completely cool with that. As an exercise, ask your spouse whether they'd be more aggravated at you for donating to a sperm bank or robbing one.

But first, Tommy learns that one of his samples is out on the market, and it has been purchased by a local gay couple. When Tommy goes to visit them it sets up a cruel and wholly unnecessary ten minutes involving some of the most awkwardly exchanged dialog this year. It's scenes like this that simply don't belong in a comedy, but The Babymakers is chock-full of scenes like that.

In order to try and pull off the heist in a coherent manner, they hire the walking stereotype, Ron-Jon (Jay Chandrasekhar, who also directs), who was rumored to be a part of the Indian mob. You can imagine how many jokes just this past sentence can set up and, let's just say, the film doesn't miss its chance to try and say all of them.

The real tragedy behind this picture is that in the mix of creating juvenile setups, crass gags, and scenes that stretch far beyond their reason lengths (take for example Kevin Heffernan's character, who during the sperm bank heist spills dozens of test tubes containing semen and spends minutes slipping and sliding around on the floor), the script successfully undermines both Munn and Schneider's chance at erecting believable, substantial chemistry, as well as both their acting talents. Schneider worked in successful independent flicks, and Munn has consistently proved herself to speak to the geek culture, much like other filmmakers such as Joss Whedon and Kevin Smith. They deserve better than this trite.

Jay Chandrasekhar is a reliable actor, but this is second time he has chosen to direct a film, involving the Broken Lizard team in lackluster material, with the first being The Dukes of Hazzard film adaptation. What this film needed in order to work was, one, a reality check. These events are highly implausible, yet are taken in the manner of sincerity and reality. Two, it needed a script more observant and intelligent. It could still be a raunchy comedy and fulfill this proposition, so my question is, why didn't it? And three, it needed to give both its leads some much deserved screen time instead of subjecting them to ridiculously contrived arguments about donating sperm to a sperm bank multiple times, uncomfortable discussions with the neighbors about possible donations, not to mention other sequences involving homosexual humor and a montage of blows to the scrotal region. I came to laugh, but I did far more wincing - one thing that is almost immediately fatal to comedies.

Starring: Paul Schneider, Olivia Munn, Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, and Nat Faxon. Directed by: Jay Chandrasekhar.

"The Babymakers" is a comedy with an odd story, but it is not really the type of comedy that will have you burst out laughing hard. That being said, then I am not saying that the movie is bad, far from it. It is the type of comedy that makes you feel good, and does manage to make you smile from time to time, just don't expect to be laughing so hard that tears will run down your cheeks.

The story is about married couple Audrey (played by Olivia Munn) and Tommy (played by Paul Schneider), who is trying to get pregnant, but after nine months of trying, there still is no baby. But in his younger days, Tommy, donated sperm every week for twenty weeks. And now being told that his sperm count is low, Tommy decides to do whatever it takes to get his good sperm back and make his wife pregnant. Together with his two friends Zig-Zag (played by Nat Faxon), Wade (played by Kevin Heffernan) and hired professional Ron Jon (played by Jay Chandrasekhar), the guys come up with a plan to break into the sperm bank.

I wasn't really laughing a lot throughout the movie, though the storyline was great and there was some nice dialogue and good moments. In fact, I was only really laughing twice. The first time was when Tommy was in the clinic and accidentally turned up the volume on the video. The second laugh was at the scene where Wade had to grab the sperm container on the top shelf. Sure it was very predictable what would happen, but it was just hilarious to watch that scene, being oh-so slapstick comedy in itself.

They had really put together a good group of actors and actresses for the movie, and people really played their characters quite well. Personally, I thought that Jay Chandrasekhar did the most impressive job in this movie.

"The Babymakers" had a very unique storyline, and that made the movie stand out, despite it not really being all that funny. Still, if you like comedies, and haven't seen "The Babymakers" yet, it is well worth watching. However, I don't see this movie as the type of movie that you will pick up again at a later time for a second watching.

But also some not so funny moments. While it does have some genuine things in the script, it also goes completely crazy in other places. It's almost a shame, but let's focus on the good things. The chemistry between the wife and the husband is good, which is something that is needed, especially later on in the movie.

There are quite a few clichés thrown into the mix and the ending is just crazy (not in a good way). On the other hand, we have a few scenes, that are not as funny as the filmmaker thought they would be. Still a nice little comedy that might work as movie for couples (even if they have the same "problem").

This is one of those movies that deliberately tries to be shocking and have some gross out moments in it, just for the sake of it. It isn't being very clever with or about anything and I would even call this movie somewhat offensive.

Don't worry, I don't take this movie serious at all but it still feels sort of wrong for this movie to make fun of certain aspects. A comedy about 2 persons trying to have a baby through unnatural ways could work out as long as it's one of those more sweet type of comedies. Nothing sweet about this movie though. It's hardly a subtle one, that rather makes cheap jokes about sperm and buffing the banana than being considerate toward its subject and treat it with some dignity. I'm pretty sure that people who are on the whole IVF track for instance will find this movie terribly offensive and tasteless. Just as tasteless as my buffing the banana remark.

And the problem is that this movie mostly relies on exactly those gross out moments. Everything else that happens and all of its developments are besides being some highly unlikely ones, so it's also hard to get some pleasure out of those moments. The whole way things just randomly pop up in this movie and things just happen and progress is absolutely horrible and has nothing to do with creativity.

And honestly, I like gross out comedy! I like basically every Americam Pie movie ever made and even laughed at "Freddy Got Fingered". Thing with this movie though is that it isn't ever being clever or original with any of its humor. It's extremely predictable and poorly executed all. I more often thought to myself; 'this is just plain wrong!' instead of 'this is something funny!'. It was somewhat painful and embarrassing to watch even.

I'm terribly harsh toward this movie, just because it doesn't work out at all and even worse; it works out as something cheap and offensive instead, which makes it hard to get any true enjoyment or laughs out of this movie. Of course it has its moments but it really doesn't save it and make it one that is being worthwhile to watch.

3/10

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