Baby Boom

In the opening scenes of Baby Boom, set against a back drop of hustling and bustling women in the workplace, Linda Ellerbee provides us the following commentary:

"Sociologists say the new working woman is a phenomenon of our time. Take J.C. Wyatt for example, graduated first in her class at Yale, got her M.B.A. at Harvard. Has a corner office at the corner of Th and park. She works 5 to 9, makes six figures a year and they call her the "Tiger Lady". Married to her job, she lives with an investment banker married to his. They collect African Art, co-own their own co-op and have separate but equal IRA accounts. One would take it for granted that a woman like this has it all. One must never take anything for granted."

And that my friends sets up Baby Boom in a manner far better than I could even begin to. And why must one never take anything for granted? Thought you'd never ask. Just as J.C. Wyatt (Diane Keaton)is about to be made a partner in the company she works for, and a few hours before she is to have the most important business meeting of her career, J.C. is left an inheritance by some long forgotten relatives. That inheritance turns out to be cute and charming Baby Elizabeth(Kristina and Michelle Kennedy), dumped on J.C. at the airport. It seems since J.C. is the only known surviving relative, it is left to her to care for Elizabeth. Thus we end up with the first half of our fish out of water story and it's a dandy, thanks in large part once again to Miss Keaton's wonderful comedic timing, and the fact that we like and admire her character. In a formulaic comedy such as this, the value of that is inestimable.

In the early going we know that much of what we see will be how well J.C. copes with being an executive while trying to raise an infant, a job she is totally unprepared for. As for her "investment banker" Steven, whom she shares the co-op with, playing father is not his idea of a good time and he quickly makes his exit. This is J.C.'s and Elizabeth's story, so obviously he is not needed. The film could have easily gone off course in the early going, making it strictly a comedy of slapstick, but thanks to a good script by Nancy Myers and Charles Shyer, it quickly steers away from that. What we do see is J.C. not only quickly learning to care for her child, but also figuring out how to juggle motherhood and an executive position at the same time. Of course nothing in the film world is easy and circumstances soon force J.C. and Elizabeth out of New York City to the snowy country side of Vermont, and we get our second fish out of water story. It is here that J.C. meets Dr. Jeff Cooper (Sam Shepherd), the town veterinarian and a romantic interest for J.C.

In order to move their film along at a nice clip, Meyers and Shyer, do take some licenses and shortcuts. How J.C. obtains Baby Elizabeth is a little suspect, as is how quickly J.C. purchases a house in Vermont, just from a newspaper ad. In films of this nature there is nothing wrong with taking a few shortcuts if it helps to get from important point A to more important point B. It's the same thing that happens later, as we see J.C. try to build a new business. There is no doubt that in the real world, it doesn't quite work that way, but again, if this were a dramatic true life story, things like that might matter. For this lightweight comedy, it's just not important.

Another thing the director Charles Shyers does is make good use of the Kennedy twins as Baby Elizabeth. In any film where a child is an important part of what is happening on screen many directors overplay the cuteness bits. Shyers seems to know exactly when Elizabeth is important to what is happening in the scene and when she is not. He never dwells or lingers too long on closeups of her, and he does not develop what I call the "cute kid syndrome" whereas the director overplays, overdoes, or rams a child actor down our throats when it's not needed. Shyers knows this is Keaton's film, and never forgets that. My hat's off to him.

One could easily argue, as some have, that the Shyers have made a comedy about a women's place in the world. Perhaps they have, but I don't agree. At no point did I think they were telling us what women in general should or should not do with their careers. What they are saying, is that all of us, women and men alike, should be able to make personal choices that have nothing to do with our careers and be able to do it without being penalized for it. It's a philosophy I happen to agree with, and when I do that you get my grade, which for Baby Boom adds up to a B+.

Some movies are just fun to watch -- and this is one of those for me. Diane Keaton is one of the most engaging, likable actresses, in any role, and this one is perfect for her. The story doesn't hold a lot of suspense -- you know where it is going early-on, but that doesn't lessen the enjoyment. All of the supporting characters/actors, in both the sophisticated/big-city/New York setting, and in rural Vermont, are well-cast and likable as well. Keaton and co-star Sam Shepard are also engaging as a couple, with humorous contentions at first, and the romance soon following.

The rapidity and degree of her success in her Vermont business venture are somewhat unbelievable (even despite her prestigious business background), but so what?

Simply a thoroughly enjoyable, funny, pleasant and uplifting viewing.

J.C. (Diane Keaton) is a business executive with a fast-paced existence, including power lunches, serious hair and more. Her life is turned upside down, however, when a close relative dies and leaves J.C. in charge of a toddler girl. Suddenly, big promotions or assignments are not coming J.C.'s way and she decides to move to Vermont and be a stay at home mother. There, she meets attractive Dr. Jeff (Sam Shepard). However, her old house needs many repairs and she must make some cash. Will she opt to return to her former life?

This darling movie features Keaton at the top of her game. Her initial reactions to becoming a mother are hilarious. Shepard, also, does a fun turn as the one eligible bachelor anywhere in sight in the Vermont setting. Big corporations take a pretty severe beating as depicted in this film but it is all in fun. If you go to the library or video store and the hot new stuff is checked out, try to find this film instead. It is worthy of recognition among those who like romance movies and for those who think they don't.

In New York, the executive J.C. Wiatt (Diane Keaton) is a successful business woman that prioritizes her work in a publicity agency over her personal life. Her boss Fritz Curtis (Sam Wanamaker) calls her tiger lady and invites J.C. to be partner of the agency provided she brings the account of the company owned by Hughes Larrabee (Pat Hingle) to the agency. One night, J.C. is sleeping with her boyfriend Steven Buchner (Harold Ramis) and receives a phone call from England telling that she has an inheritance something from her cousin that died in an accident with his wife. J.C. believes it is money but receives their daughter, the baby girl Elizabeth, instead. Soon she feels connected to the baby, turning her life upside-down: Steven breaks with her; her assistant Ken Arrenberg (James Spader) steals Larrabee´s account in the agency; and J.C. loses her job. She decides to buy a huge real estate in Vermont to raise Elizabeth and finds many unexpected problems in the old house. But soon she sees an opportunity to develop new business while she meets the veterinarian Dr. Jeff Cooper (Sam Shepard) giving another sense to her life.

"Baby Boom" is a funny comedy about a tough executive that changes her life after inheriting a baby girl. The plot has silly and exaggerated moments, but is hilarious most of the time. Diane Keaton has good performance and the baby Elizabeth is cute. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil):"Presente de Grego" ("A Curse in Disguise")

Sweeter than sugar Keaton is delightfully charming in this pleasant comedy about a high powered business executive who lives in her work, until she inherits a baby girl from distant relatives who have been killed. Lovely all the way through with a witty script from Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer and good support from the always wonderful Shepard and from Sam Wannamaker.