Directed by Lara Shapiro. Starring Lindsay Lohan, Luke Kirby, Nick Parnell, Aaron Yoo, Cheryl Hines, Tracee Ellis Ross, Janeane Garofolo. Comedy.Synopsis: A secretary at a publishing company who is in danger of losing her job pretend to be pregnant in order to avoid getting fired.
I have not had the chance to look at a lot of Lohan's work, though like anyone else, I know she is a pretty prolific tabloid gal. I say that to say that I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at this flick and determined that she has a good bit of talent, especially comedic talent.
I know that may sound a little condescending, but I'm of the opinion that being a star and being a talented actor is not necessarily one in the same, in fact, in some cases they are mutually exclusive.
The story is a cute premise. Thea (Lohan) is a secretary at a publishing company who is trying to take care of her teen age sister (Bridget Mendler) and muddle through her job, at which she is less than spectacular. She does have a difficult and arrogant boss (Nick Parnell) who is always on her case. One time, when commiserating with work pal Lisa (Cheryl Hines) on an unauthorized smoke break about her dislike for her boss and his unusual attachment to his dog, she is overheard by him and subsequently fired. Thea is a quick thinker and she immediately comes up with her pregnancy as an excuse not to be fired.
Good excuse, and it works, but the hard truth is she is not pregnant. Well, now the fun begins as Thea needs to cover up the lie and tell more lies to do so. (Doesn't it always happen that way? I mean, I wouldn't know, I'm just asking...) The funny situations that will present themselves are obvious and the flick takes pretty good advantage of the situation.
The thing is, the fake isn't all bad, due to her boss being out of the office for a while, Thea soon finds herself with more responsibility and promotion to boot. Things are looking up, there is a little more money and prestige, and she is working on a promising book project. On top of that, she feels good enough to kick her immature boyfriend (Aaron Yoo) to the curb and start checking out someone in the office, Nick (Luke Kirby), who she really likes and seems similarly smitten with her.
Of course, this is all predicated on people thinking she is with child and, wouldn't you know it, over time Thea seems to act as if she really is as well. Take it from a survivor of 1980's cinema, pregnancy/baby movies were all the rage at the time and I thought I'd had my fill of the cutesy baby movie thing. But, Labor Pains is a little different in that it doesn't try to over the top with the cutesy stuff, in fact, it elicits some laughs out of the less glamorous but all too real uncomfortable and aggravating aspects of carrying a child in the belly. I kind of liked it. Mostly because I thought the actors did well.
As I said, Lohan herself surprised me with her performance, and she especially has some talent in physical and reactive comedy. But, she is not alone, Cheryl Hines in particular is very effective, not to mention funny, in the "best gal pal" role and Luke Kirby does well as the leading man. Almost all of the other supporting characters have their moment or moments that will make you chuckle and Janeane Garafolo's brief scenes bring some comedic heft to the flick.
Like I said, I liked it and I didn't necessarily expect to, so if you give my review any weight at all, factor that in when making your decision on this flick.
I have not had the chance to look at a lot of Lohan's work, though like anyone else, I know she is a pretty prolific tabloid gal. I say that to say that I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at this flick and determined that she has a good bit of talent, especially comedic talent.
I know that may sound a little condescending, but I'm of the opinion that being a star and being a talented actor is not necessarily one in the same, in fact, in some cases they are mutually exclusive.
The story is a cute premise. Thea (Lohan) is a secretary at a publishing company who is trying to take care of her teen age sister (Bridget Mendler) and muddle through her job, at which she is less than spectacular. She does have a difficult and arrogant boss (Nick Parnell) who is always on her case. One time, when commiserating with work pal Lisa (Cheryl Hines) on an unauthorized smoke break about her dislike for her boss and his unusual attachment to his dog, she is overheard by him and subsequently fired. Thea is a quick thinker and she immediately comes up with her pregnancy as an excuse not to be fired.
Good excuse, and it works, but the hard truth is she is not pregnant. Well, now the fun begins as Thea needs to cover up the lie and tell more lies to do so. (Doesn't it always happen that way? I mean, I wouldn't know, I'm just asking...) The funny situations that will present themselves are obvious and the flick takes pretty good advantage of the situation.
The thing is, the fake isn't all bad, due to her boss being out of the office for a while, Thea soon finds herself with more responsibility and promotion to boot. Things are looking up, there is a little more money and prestige, and she is working on a promising book project. On top of that, she feels good enough to kick her immature boyfriend (Aaron Yoo) to the curb and start checking out someone in the office, Nick (Luke Kirby), who she really likes and seems similarly smitten with her.
Of course, this is all predicated on people thinking she is with child and, wouldn't you know it, over time Thea seems to act as if she really is as well. Take it from a survivor of 1980's cinema, pregnancy/baby movies were all the rage at the time and I thought I'd had my fill of the cutesy baby movie thing. But, Labor Pains is a little different in that it doesn't try to over the top with the cutesy stuff, in fact, it elicits some laughs out of the less glamorous but all too real uncomfortable and aggravating aspects of carrying a child in the belly. I kind of liked it. Mostly because I thought the actors did well.
As I said, Lohan herself surprised me with her performance, and she especially has some talent in physical and reactive comedy. But, she is not alone, Cheryl Hines in particular is very effective, not to mention funny, in the "best gal pal" role and Luke Kirby does well as the leading man. Almost all of the other supporting characters have their moment or moments that will make you chuckle and Janeane Garafolo's brief scenes bring some comedic heft to the flick.
Like I said, I liked it and I didn't necessarily expect to, so if you give my review any weight at all, factor that in when making your decision on this flick.
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