The Babymakers

When Broken Lizard burst onto the scene with their cult classic Super Troopers they took comedy by storm. Member Jay Chandrasekhar has not only worked and directed with the group, but also journeyed outside the troupe to take on other projects like his latest The Babymakers. Bringing along fellow Broken Lizard alum Kevin Heffernan, in addition to Olivia Munn, Paul Schneider, and Nat Faxon could he possibly hit the mark with this new comedy or will it end up being a miscarriage?

The Babymakers follows a married couple trying to get pregnant. When they find out that the guy is the one with the issues, he teams up with his friends to hatch a plan to try and retrieve a healthy sperm donation to a sperm bank years ago. First thing to make very clear is that this is not a Broken Lizard movie. Most people will head out to see this with the idea that's what they are going into. With that being said, it still attempts to stick with some of that formula and push the limits at times. There are some really funny over the top moments that deliver and make this film more than just a standard romantic comedy. Everyone does a great job with their respected parts, most notably the Broken Lizard guys Jay Chandrasekhar and Kevin Heffernan. The biggest issue with this film is the chemistry between Munn and Schneider. They both do fine job acting, but they just don't have the chemistry to make you believe their relationship. This makes some aspects of the film feel forced when it should have had more heart to bring together the zany over the top comedy.

This is a better than average R-Rated romantic comedy that will probably entertain guys way more than the ladies, but still not knock it out of the park like it could have. Broken Lizard fans will enjoy the guys doing their thing as it is the highlight of the film.

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This movie had potential but I felt like I had to force myself to keep watching. A lot of it was very predictable and the actors didn't have a lot of chemistry which really affected the overall film. I found myself thinking at certain parts 'would this be funny if *insert well known comedic actor here* was playing the part.?' Some parts of it were just down right silly and by the end of it I regretted paying the $4 to hire it out. It doesn't surprise me that it didn't screen at any of the local cinemas. I've seen Olivia Munn act before but I'm not familiar with Paul Schneider and I can't help but wonder if he was the main reason the cast didn't seem to mesh. He seemed fine but a lot of scenes between characters just seemed awkward and fake and it really made the film difficult to watch.

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.

Recently it seems as though several titles that have come out are missing something crucial that audiences tend to enjoy- subplot.

The film overall is enjoyable and has many funny moments. While the cast members are easy to like, aside from the Paul and Jay the others lack effective facial gestures that in comedy play equally important parts in terms of "punchline".

The pace of the movie is moderate and moves along well, but this is also where the story becomes a tad monotonous. Without a secondary story, or subplot that could have involved one, or more of the many supporting cast members the point, or purpose of the film travels in a straightforward line from A to B.

Moments in the movie begin to inspire a touch of heartfelt sensitivity (a great contrast to crass/controversial humor), but are cut short before delivering any lasting effects.

To be fair, the project was shot in a very short period of time (less than a month) and given the time frame the finished product is decent, however in the absence of a secondary plot it might have been better to create more suspense/keep the viewer guessing by having Paul (the lead male) refrain from divulging his "secret" that ends up being the basis for the final mission.

"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.