Un amore rinnovato

I would go on record to say that John Hughes' "She's Having A Baby" is by far the best film he's ever done -- and this from the man responsible for those giddy teen comedies from the '80's (i.e. BREAKFAST CLUB, SIXTEEN CANDLES, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF).

It's ironic that his best work would be about grownups, or in this case, growing up. Jake and Kristi (played superbly by Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern), are indeed, your average married couple going through the same problems most married people do, and most kids their age would be sidestepping. But Hughes adds more dimension and more insight, and in spite of the laughs (which there are, by the way) and even some silly sequences,he still wrings out an air of truth.

Sadly, this film flopped at the B.O. in it's initial release back in 1988, but then why carp about performance. "SHAB" is a quiet gem of a film to be appreciated by the few that appreciate good filmmaking.

Grade: A-

SHE'S HAVING A BABY (1988) *** Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Mc Govern, Alec Baldwin, William Windom, Cathryn Damon, John Ashton, Edie McClurg, Dennis Dugan. Frequently accurate domestic comedy about newlyweds Bacon and McGovern who finally decide to procreate amidst the usual barriers including family and money. Smart script and direction by John Hughes with a sharp turn of events by the film's climax with an effectively dramatic birth sequence; I got misty eyed for Bacon and the plight of his newborn accentuated by the song "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush. Wait for the credits with some celebrities coming up with names for the baby.

On the upside, I love this movie (enough that I just watched it for about the 7th time), firstly and mostly, because of Elizabeth McGovern's very charming portrayal of very charming Kristy Briggs. Secondly, because of the cute and sweet relationship between Kristy and Jake. Thirdly because of the chuckles I get from watching the credits at the end of the movie -- which I believe is the first and only time I've actually chuckled from watching movie credits! On the downside, there are some really odd elements to the direction that I really don't enjoy at all, but rather suffer through and barely tolerate. I just think Jake's fantasies and/or hallucinations could've been directed better. And I cannot stand Alec Baldwin's character (Jake's best friend), or his girlfriend's either. UGH! But all in all, this movie entertains me, brings crocodile tears to my eyes in several places, makes me smile in many others, and makes me root like crazy for Kristy's & Jake's relationship to make it!

She's Having a Baby is very much like Kevin Bacon's later film, 'He Said, She Said,' in which moments of a story are articulated from the perspective of each gender. But while 'He Said, She Said,' provided humorous views of love and life from both the shovinist male and the over-confident female, 'She's Having a Baby' provides only the perspective of one person: a very nervous and doubting husband. It is interesting to me, at least, as there are few movies which dedicate the entire experience of married life solely to the male perspective, and I suppose that John Hughes, the film's writer and director, is telling the story from his own personal experiences, fears, expectations, and other approaches to his life as a husband and father.

I have always like John Hughes work, and despite some of the sexism and cliches that the story deals with, it is an entertaining film about newlyweds unsure about whether getting married was a good idea, but discovering in the end, that despite the obstacles ahead of them, they actually find that married life (and soon, parenthood), can actually quite a wonderful thing.

Jake Briggs (Bacon) marries his high school sweetheart, Kristi (McGovern), his love at first sight. The movie introduces us to Jake who is preparing himself (and simultaneoulsy doubting himself) to walk down the isle and declare himself a married man. But for Jake, somehow saying I do, was the point of no return, and his relationship to Kristi (and his perception of her) drastically changes once they officially carry on together as a married couple. Jake finds disatisfaction with his work as an advertising agent (aspiring instead to be a writer, but always being told that it just wasn't going to happen), with the drone life in the suburbs (a typical John Hughes theme), and even gets tempted with indescretions as he meets a woman at a bar who tests his faithfulness to Kristi.

For Jake, it seems like the single life had a lot more to offer in both independce as well as his love for Kristi, even to the point that he tries to convince his bachelor friend, Davis (played by that hubba, hubba actor, Alec Baldwin), that he need not be unmarried to enjoy himself. In fact, things start to change for Jake, as he starts to grow accustomed to marriage and finds that the situation isn't as bad as he imagined. When his wife Kristi becomes pregnant and there are complications during the pregnancy, Jake is forced to consider whether he would give it all up. And in that time, he realizes, that he actually doesn't hate it at all. That there are things there that he can adjust (by way of work, we see later that he does take it upon himself to do some writing), and with his relationship to his wife, and hell, even the in-laws. It's hard to say, but folks who are married and who have gone through that 'moment of truth' at some point in their relationship (if at all), must know how that feels. And from the look on Jake's face, it must feel pretty good to realize how lucky a person can be to share that with somebody else.

There are some problems with the characters, such as Kristi always been made out as this bossy, detached spouse of Jake's. One viewer wrote that she was often depicted as selfish, and while I agree that it is an unfair assessment of Kristi (who could not have been this way all the time--you have to watch the movie to see), it was also meant to be portrayed from the husbands point of viewed. Therefore, we get the subjective view of the husband, and not the objective view of what we may consider Kristi to be (because nearly the whole movie is told from Jefferson's viewpoint).

The story is also stereotypical in some of it's assertions about marriage and work and the like. But I think that the movie still offers some good humor, and is certainly one for John Hughe's fans to see, before he gave up writing and directing teen movies--the 80s films prior to She's Having a Baby, and went on to make children and family films--mostly all of his films made after 1989. And fans of Kevin Bacon are sure to enjoy the movie as well. It's not fantastic, and I'll admit, I never got through watching it the first time. But I gave it a few years and tried again, and though it isn't a great movie, it is one that I would recommend trying out.

It's not a terrible movie but it has significant problems. Firstly, the interjected flashback scenes and the caricature scenes distract from the film's central message which is presented in a jarring way. Upon viewing this film for the first time, I found it challenging to follow the plot. I understand this film closely related to John Hughes' life and that he wanted to present it in an artistic way but there were more misses than hits in its execution.

But there are some scenes that are well done. I like the club scene and the music used as well as its artistic presentation when it shows back-and-forth (lone) images of Jake and the mystery woman who is trying to lure him to cheat. I also like the wedding scene as well as the scene where Jake and Kristy are sitting with Davis (Alec Baldwin) who has visited Chicago with his mistress and they're sitting in the Briggs house.

I'm a big John Hughes fan and enjoy most of his films that he has directed and produced (and wrote) but this isn't his best work. Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern deliver good acting performances but they don't have a high level of chemistry between them and that also holds the film back.

I liked the concept and saw what Hughes was trying to achieve but it didn't quite connect for me with this film.