Film Review: Reviewed By Karen Krizanovich; 3 out of 5

The lives of five couples with parenthood problems are tenuously linked in this star-studded comedy inspired by the bestselling pregnancy book. Expectant mothers include Cameron Diaz's celebrity fitness coach, Jennifer Lopez's keen-to-adopt photographer and a hysterical Elizabeth Banks as a baby-obsessive married to the son of a rich racing-car driver (Dennis Quaid) with a trophy wife. Meanwhile, Chris Rock leads a tangential "dudes group" of new fathers who envy the life of the free and single more than ever. Of the star cast, it's Quaid's mixture of impossible ego and inevitable ageing who comes across the best. Director Kirk Jones (Nanny McPhee, Everybody's Fine) keeps the reproductive tale on the right side of light, so it could be just the movie for exhausted parents. For others, it may be a little too laboured.

Plot Summary

Five women and their partners wrestle with the demands of impending parenthood. A TV fitness guru finds her celebrity lifestyle unraveling, and a writer of advice books for pregnant women puts her theoretical knowledge to the ultimate test, while her father-in-law expects a child with his younger lover. A couple try to adopt a baby overseas and a one-night stand has unforeseen consequences. Comedy drama, starring Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez and Elizabeth Banks.