Judging by the promotional video, one would think that “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”’ would be just another typical chick-flick, but that stereotype is quickly proven wrong.
All of the individual relationship storylines focus just as much on the father’s sides of things as the mother’s. They touch on the difficulties some men have adjusting to impending fatherhood, whether because of age or adoption; the difficulties some men experience when not able to make “big” decisions; and finally the comedic side of fathers bonding with their own children.
The best comedic relief within the film, without a doubt, had to be the “Dudes’ Group” segments. “Dudes’ Group” is basically a group of new fathers who get together once a week for a playdate, of sorts. They bond with their children, each other, and basically spend their time discussing and doing the things that they can’t in front of their wives. While it’s predictable and a little over the top at times, it had the audience in hysterics.
“All of the dads getting together was the funniest part of the whole thing,” said John Tison. “My girlfriend dragged me to the movie, and I wasn’t expecting much, but that was hilarious.”
Though the film carried an overall comedic feel, not every couple was happy-go-lucky. Marco (Chace Crawford) and Rosie (Anna Kendrick), the relationship that got the least screen time, had by far the saddest storyline. In the spirit of keeping things mostly spoiler-free, exactly what happens between them won’t be revealed here, but their situation was a very sad one with an age-appropriate take to it, considering the fact that their characters are in their early twenties and their situation comes about by complete accident.
While some of the characters weren’t easy to relate to — like Evan (Matthew Morrison) and Jules (Cameron Diaz), the couple made up of celebrities from two knock-off reality shows whose only make it or break it issue was “will we circumcise our son?” — there were others with real issues that many impending parents could relate to, whether it be the difficulties surrounding adoption or the uncomfortable factor in any pregnancy.
