The Pregnancy Pact

In 2008, a media firestorm showcases the rash of teenage pregnancies in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Three months before, internet blogger Sidney Bloom (Thora Birch) returns to her high school alma mater to report on a suspected story on teen pregnancies. Everybody is ignoring the situation except nurse Kim Daly (Camryn Manheim). She is powerless to institute changes. Lorraine Dougan (Nancy Travis) leads the conservative locals and her daughter Sara has been trying to get pregnant to fit in with her friends.

The story is ripped from the headlines. It's one of those Lifetime movies but I rather they fictionalize the whole thing to add more drama. Some of these girls are good actors but the characters are too annoying. The story has too many elements of a bad movie-of-the-week. There could be an interesting movie from this material. I like some actors but they don't add up to a great movie.

I cannot believe that I wasted time watching this. I kept waiting for it to get better, or even to make some sense. I'm afraid this could be a career-killer for some talented people who obviously needed a paycheck.

The only valuable lesson is that religion-driven communities tend to be so complacent and smug that instead of embracing their children and building family values, they actually just set them adrift in life with absolutely no clues about sex/sexuality (with or without birth control), career and family life, or the nitty-gritty facts about pregnancy and parenthood (with or without abortion).

It would be all to easy to get into socio-political issues here, but to refocus on the movie, it's sufficient to say that it's poorly plotted, badly written, photographed to mediocre TV standards, and features boring, bad music. And is it really possible for someone to actually earn a full-time living as a blogger? I always thought it was a hobby for the socially inept or a part-time business activity like a customer newsletter. Just as it would be bad to present teenage pregnancy as appealing, I think it's misleading to present a part-time activity as a true career opportunity.

Anyway, next time I will be sure to pass up a Lifetime movie for a rerun of Criminal Minds or NCIS (or Two and a Half Men, for that matter).

Yup this is a Lifetime movie. So its kinda cheesy but as usual it also sucks you in. I do remember this story in the news. Crazy, naïve teenagers all getting themselves pregnant at the same time because of a pact to stick together.

I enjoyed Thora Birch as Sidney Bloom, the internet blogger who travels back to her old high school in Gloucester, Massachusetts to investigate the sudden rash of teen pregnancies. The teens give an accurate performance of angst and bad decisions and we also follow a school nurse (Camryn Manheim) who fights with administration.

The townsfolk (and highlighted teen's Mum) were so ignorant in their thinking, raising money for more daycare at the school but refusing to offer a condom machine or even consider giving out contraception to students! 03.13

I don't know the complete facts upon which this movie is based. All I know is what was splattered across the cable media and other concerning teen pregnancy spike in Gloucester Massachusetts. While the story is considered fiction based on true events, unplanned teen pregnancy in the United States has always been an issue going back to at least the 1970s. I generally thought the film was well acted especially by the young teen girls. When the phrase 'Pregnancy Pact' is used one gets the vision of the girls stacking their hands up high and saying "All For One, One For All", sort of like Alexander Dumas 'The Three Musketeers'. I just found it humorous. Since ABC doesn't do Afterschool Specials anymore, Lifetime has picked up the task and this film has all the feel of a traditional afterschool special.

Can anyone understand the mind of a teenager? Why don't teenagers better understand consequences, and why are so many in such a hurry to grow up? These questions burn in the mind of every parent of a certain age, and this movie, short of providing concrete answers, is one of the best treatments I've seen on the subject.

Many movies ask the audience to accept extraordinary circumstances: a flying elephant, for example. Screen writers call this "suspension of disbelief," and are careful not to exceed the ability of the audience to wrap their mind around a premise. This movie is more difficult than others because the premise hits very close to home; it invites challenge. Did four teenage girls in Gloucester, Massachusetts intentionally try to get pregnant? We'd like to think not, but the possibility makes an excellent theme for a movie, and the writers leapt at it, taking full advantage of this opportunity to give full treatment to the important subject of teenage pregnancy. The temptation will be to view the teenage characters through a rational perspective and dismiss the movie as being just as stupid. Yes, the main characters were stupid, but there's much more to it than that. You will enjoy the movie much more if you exercise your empathy skills and try to identify with the characters. The writers made it easy to do so; my compliments to them.

The result was both clinical and artful. And while the movie, at times, lacked drama and emotion, I was able to identify with the main character, which is an accomplishment in and of itself.

The other components of the movie were satisfactory. The plot was sufficiently unpredictable, and the ending did not disappoint.

After watching this movie, you will have learned the most important lesson in parenting: Children are born without knowledge. Parents (and in my opinion, teachers, too) must explain things over and over again in a variety of ways and in a variety of voices. What works for one kid, may not work for another. The important thing is to keep trying and don't just assume that the child gets it.