What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012) User Reviews

A sweet movie, unfairly judged

[katieking90 · 7/10 · 31 January 2014]

This movie is my favorite feel-good flick and 9 out of 10 times it's my go to for an easy late night comedy. That isn't to say it is a gut- busting laugh-fest but it EASILY ranks higher than a chuckle. Even though I can almost quote every line I still smile in expectation for the scenes and moments that continue to crack me up.

It has been unfairly reviewed by others who describe it as sophomoric and shallow. While the movie maintains a sense of levity throughout it is not lacking in emotion and empathy. If you want something to help you get rid of a box of Kleenexes try "The Notebook." "What to Expect" treats it's scenes of tenderness with respect (which I appreciated) but won't make you ball your eyes out.

Other ridiculous criticisms target the development of the characters and their portrayal of parental roles. As in many comedies, the characters of "What to Expect" are more closely related to an archetype than actual people. That being said, I didn't find it difficult to identify and empathize with each character as the movie progressed. Their emotions and development are hyperbolic but still believable for what this movie is - a comedy! As a pregnant woman I can easily relate to what seems (to some!) an exaggeration.

This movie is sweet, funny, and easy to watch. Not to mention that it actually DOES pack a lot of useful information regarding pregnancy without seeming like a health class video. It won't make you pee yourself laughing or cry yourself to sleep or enlighten you but it should make you happy as it does for me every time I watch it. Abandon your cynicism for a moment and enjoy a cute couch-film.

Don't expect much when you're expecting

[reggieschneider1 · 5/10 · 19 May 2012]

Well... don't expect much. The plot is thin, predictable and the movie is simply not funny. My girlfriend roped me in -- so I went. The cast was likable... but everything else about the movie I couldn't bear. That said, this is a sure fire girl film that your lady love... especially if she has baby on her mind. The cast is very easy on the eyes.. especially the gorgeous Brooklyn Decker who is certainly bound to a be a big star. Jennifer Lopez was not very good or funny. My favorite characters in the film were Chris Rock and Anna Kendrick who are always funny and spot on in their roles. Great date film... but GUYS, beware -- you are in for a tedious night.

Slick, well acted, but in the end a bit empty...

[MovieGeekBlog · 6/10 · 25 May 2012]

What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012)

Director: Kirk Jones. Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock.

Don't ask me what possessed me to go and watch this film. In my defence I can tell you that I had seen everything else at my local multiplex and I had 2 hours to spare. Also the cast seemed impressive enough... and, to top it all up, my wife is pregnant, so I thought at least I would fit its target audience just perfectly.

To be completely honest I was expecting (sorry about the pun) something a lot worse: this is one of those average ensemble comedies where, as always some of the stories and some of the characters are more successful than others but in the end they are so many of them that if you are a parent or preparing to be one, you're bound to find a something to like... Other than that, this is all pure middle-class Hollywood, pretty slick, light-hearted but with enough sweet-and-sour moments to make it feel like it's actually about something. Obviously at the end of the day it's all rather forgettable, and it's actually a great shame, because the acting talent a shown here is impressive (surprisingly even Jennifer Lopez showcases a nuanced performance unlike much we'd seen before) both directing and editing are potentially quite skilled at doing what they do and the few good moments here and there give you a little glimpse of what it could have been.

The main problem is that the film is just not funny enough to be able to be a crowd pleaser and looses itself among the too many subplots, some of which are way off the main subject, to be able to become a classic (the golf cart chase sequence is one of the lowest and unfunny points and the father group sequences, despite Chris Rock, are just too indulgent, over the top and long). However having said all this, I must confess, even though I laughed very little, I found myself moved a couple of times: oh dear, it really must be the hormones (I think they call it sympathetic pregnancy).

6/10 wp.me/p19wJ2-yv

A brain off comedy that is a little out of convention

[Gordon-11 · 13 September 2012]

This film is about several couples who are expecting babies. They run into various troubles and emotional rollercoasters while preparing themselves for parenthood.

"What to Expect When You're Expecting" is a lighthearted comedy that makes you laugh, just like what is advertised. Of course, the way to parenthood is not just happy and joyful, so the film also realistically portrays the unglamorous side of expecting mothers. Some of these are presented as crude toilet humour, while others are presented as emotional rollercoasters that will touch your heart. I like the fact that characters in "What to Expect When You're Expecting" do not have a smooth breezy path, but face adversity like in real life. It is an interesting comedy for expecting mothers.

Some good moments, but you have to sit through some bad stuff to get to them

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 25 May 2012]

This film follows the story of 5 pregnant women and their partners: Cameron Diaz is a reality TV weight loss show guru who disagrees with her partner over circumcision, Elizabeth Banks is a baby shop proprietor whose husband finds himself drawn unwillingly into competition with father Dennis Quaid over everything (Quaid's trophy wife Brooklyn Decker is having twins: beat that son!), Jennifer Lopez is looking to adopt an Ethiopean baby but hubby is far from sure about parenthood, and takeaway truck worker Anna Kendrick finds herself unexpectedly pregnant after an impetuous one night stand with the guy who was nearly her prom date. These threads intertwine mildly, but the intertwining is incredibly contrived.

Most of these stories have something in them to entertain, and there are some really good things here - Anna Kendrick's performance is wonderful, and Elizabeth Banks' thread is very funny: there is scope for some exaggerated humour from her, to be sure, but I suspect that most mothers will identify with her experiences of impending motherhood more than any of the others.

There is also some not-so-good stuff - the endless visits to the "Fathers Club" where Chris Rock imparts paternal wisdom to Lopez' husband outstay their welcome by a considerable margin, and Quaid's abrupt transition from crass competitor with no empathy to touchy/feely Dad does not ring true at all.

Even so, I quite enjoyed this.

Cheesy....Chick-flick

[sexycurls7 · 7/10 · 21 August 2014]

Good thing I Like Cheesy Chick-flicks....but if your are not a chick-flick person DO NOT WATCH THIS!!!....But on the other hand if you do...this movie is cute, funny and has many great actors and actresses that i really like...The Dude Group is Hilarious...If you have Kids you will relate to many of the things that happens in here...It's all about Baby Delivery and everything that come's with it....OBVIOUSLY the Title says it all.

For the Moms... this movie is funny..I guarantee you will relate to at least one couple in this film.

for mom's to be... This movie is nice to watch and wont traumatize you in anyway.

BTW...Joe Manganiello is shirtless in many of the scenes in this film...YAY!!!

Completely shallow, generic and boring movie

[vasot02 · 4/10 · 3 June 2012]

Contrarily to this adapted verbose title, one shouldn't 'expect' much that is, unless literary desecration is in your hand of cards--if that is the game you're looking to play, then consider this mess a winner.

Inspired by Heidi Murkoff's multimillion-selling-self-help-book for expectant mothers--holding the same name--'What to Expect', the film, will be much less prolific. Obviously a lot more work, and money, towards getting an ensemble cast--as opposed to garnering producers with emphasis on purpose and ingenuity--the filmmakers, here, create a product that is not the least bit unique it's a generic label laden with followed genre-specific clichés, bawdy humor, and disjointed direction.

Despite its few laughs, known cast, and affecting hints towards pregnancy, 'What to Expect' is an over-packed piece of "luggage" that becomes too frustrating to haul around. An immersion too tediously futile and not nearly enough funny. Expect worse...

Cute comedy

[NCRodriguez · 6/10 · 25 July 2022]

I remember watching this in theaters and thinking it had strong moments.

I think the cast is great and the storylines parallel nicely. Anna Kendrick and JLO's storylines are tough ones and I'm not a mother myself. Watching their scenes, I can only imagine how real life women feel if they can relate.

The dad group has funny clever moments.

Twenty floating heads can't make you laugh but a couple of actors can grab your heart

[napierslogs · 5/10 · 18 May 2012]

I was expecting to come away with a sassy name for this new genre, the Hollywood-ensemble rom-com, but there was nothing clever to provide any inspiration in "What to Expect When You're Expecting". The best line that I have heard to describe this comes from a fellow IMDb user, gregeichelberger, "It's "New Year's Eve" in the neo-natal unit; "Valentine's Day" with a uterus; "Knocked Up" times five." That sums up the whole thing perfectly.

The Hollywood ensemble is this frustrating trend to load the movie with as many stars as possible, so you have only floating heads and no actual characters. Surprisingly, one of the worst offenders is the similarly-themed indie dramedy "Conception" (2010) where we get to follow 9 (yes, 9!) different couples. This movie isn't as bad, there are only 5 main couples.

The intertwining of them is very limited. The four other girls basically all watch Jules (Cameron Diaz) on her reality TV shows. The timing, on the other hand, is all in sync. They get pregnant at the same time, start showing at the same time, and give birth at the same time. The point is of course that you don't know what to expect since each girl's pregnancy is different and experiences it differently.

Jules is going to control it – whether her partner tags along or not; Holly (Jennifer Lopez) is going to lie her way through adoption if that's what it takes; Wendy (Elizabeth Banks) wants the joy but gets the worst; Skyler (Brooklyn Decker) is going to make it perfect, just like herself; Rosie (Anna Kendrick) doesn't know what she's going to do. If the movie had left it at that, it would have been cute, romantic, funny and heartfelt, and possibly empowering.

But then they introduced "the dude pack" which is even worse than it sounds. They are a group of fathers, led by Chris Rock, who are given the stupidest sounding lines to try and make funny. It was painful how unfunny it was. Imagine if you will, a Hollywood writer being paid to come up with never-before-said lines to turn into popular catch-phrases. The way "Horrible Bosses" was almost successful (but ultimately not) with Sudeikis' "I would like to bend her over a barrel and show her the fifty states". That was exactly the case with the "comedy" in this movie. All of their lines were met with a few unimpressed question marks on faces but never any laughs.

However, the mothers-to-be were pretty good. Some were on the boring side, but two were able to deliver enough humour and heart to almost make up for the entirety of "What to Expect When You're Expecting". I don't know what it is about Anna Kendrick but she makes my heart melt every time she's on the screen. Extremely cute, in a relatable kind of way, and able to hold our hearts, she was the one that got us through this movie. Elizabeth Banks was able to go as over-the-top as only pregnant movie heroines are allowed to and gave it her all to deliver the comedy of what not to expect. Of course, it wasn't quite enough because we do know exactly what to expect.

Oh gee, what a waste of money.

[JimmyCollins · 2/10 · 18 June 2012]

I saw the trailer for What To Expect When You're Expecting and I thought it looked funny, and more than 1 of the cast members happen to be favorites of mine, but pretty much 20 minutes in, I knew I was going to hate this movie. Out of all of the mega cast movies of late, this is indeed the weakest of all of them. This movie is meant to be a comedy, but I didn't laugh once or even come remotely close to laughing, the cast, some if which are rather talented never get a chance to prove themselves as every scene is so ridiculously short, and the script, talk about a cheese overload, and this is written by Shauna Cross, who wrote a terrifically funny script for Whip It, it's a shame none of the heart, wit and humor that was in that could transfer to this film.

The one saving grace this film has is the always wonderful Anna Kendrick, her character is the only one worth mentioning, and one particular scene of hers nearly brought me to tears, she's honestly the only person to stand out in this movie, in fact the storyline between Anna and Chace Crawford would probably make a good film on it's own, without having to compete for screen time with 4 other plot lines, I'm sure Anna's next movie will leave this as a distant memory.

Honestly I just can't even explain how silly this movie is, it's best to just see it and surely you will see for yourself. Just wait for the DVD, giving birth is probably less painful than watching this. Mega thumbs down.

deserves a higher rating in my opinion

[miarae · 8/10 · 21 June 2012]

Honestly, the reason for seeing this movie was nothing more and nothing less than the desire to go to the cinema with a friend. With some other movies not interesting her, it was between The Lucky Ones and this one, both movies that have a low score on IMDb. I was pleasantly surprised, however, with not just the actors in the movie but also with the dialogue and chemistry on screen, which seemed very natural. I definitely enjoyed watching it and will most likely end up buying it on DVD; not even the fact that Chris Rock was in it bothered me, whereas I usually can't stand him. I have to applaud Jennifer Lopez too, I never thought much of her as an actress, but I found myself sympathizing with her and liking her portrayal of the character. Over all, I find that this movie deserves a higher score than it's currently got on IMDb.

Better than the buzz

[BottomLineReviews · 7/10 · 10 December 2012]

I'm not sure why this movie didn't do well and people didn't like it. There were some seriously funny scenes! Sure there were the obvious crass jokes but there were also some less in-your-face ones also. The dudes who walk with their kids in the park were hilarious and Rebel Wilson steals absolutely EVERY scene she is in. That girl cracks me up. Sure, Cameron Diaz is still horrible (she couldn't act her way out of a paper bag) but I love everyone else in this movie - even if Dennis Quaid and Brooklyn Decker are a bit over the top. It's funny but it also has a lot of heart. Do yourself a favor and stop listening to what the critics are saying - go see this movie.

Bottom Line: I'd pay $10 to see this in the theater.

No great expectations from this pregnant pause

[gregeichelberger · 4/10 · 14 May 2012]

It's "New Year's Eve" in the neo-natal unit; "Valentine's Day" with a uterus; "Knocked Up" times five. Unfortunately, that's about the best I can write about this film featuring the ups and downs of having a baby.

In an attempt to jump on the multi-story, large cast bandwagon, director Kirk Jones (the charming "Waking Ted Devine," the horrid "Nanny McPhee") - with the assistance of writers Shauna Cross and Heather Hach ("Freaky Friday") - give us a few sparkling comedic moments, only to ruin it all with depressing dramatic letdowns and cinema's most predictable conclusion.

Then again, some of the heavier scenes are actually more (unintentionally) hilarious than the lighter ones. And while there is nothing unusual about comedies with dramatic overtones, this movie is all over the map, going from pure joy in some sequences to outright horror and heartbreaking grief in the next one.

Like "Hamlet," the movie suffers from an inability to make up its mind.

With a cast featuring Elizabeth Banks ("The 40-Year Old Virgin," "Man On a Ledge"), Cameron Diaz ("Something About Mary," "Killers"), Dennis Quaid ("Cheaper By the Dozen," "The Express"), Jennifer Lopez ("The Back-Up Plan"), Chris Rock ("Death At a Funeral"), Ben Falcone ("Bridesmaids"), Brooklyn Decker ("Just Go With It"), Wendi McLendon-Covey ("Bridesmaids," "Reno: 911" TV series), Rebel Wilson ("Ghost Rider," "Bridesmaids"), Anna Kendrick ("50/50," "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"), Rob Huebel ("I Love You, Man") and Thomas Lennon ("Hot Tub Time Machine"), among others, one figures the humor quotient would rate high in this endeavor.

One would mostly be wrong, however.

Plot has five Atlanta couples: Evan (Matthew Morrison, "Glee" TV series) and Jules (Diaz); Alex (Rodrigo Santoro, "Post Grad") and Holly (Lopez); Ramsey (Quaid) and Skyler (Decker); Gary (Falcone) and Wendy (Banks); and Marco (Chace Crawford, "Gossip Girls" TV series) and Rosie (Kendrick), all of whom are in various stages of pregnancy and/or child expectations.

Evan and Jules have hooked up while involved on the show, "Celebrity Dance Factor," (she throws up on live television after the final episode), and now constantly bicker about whether or not to circumcise the baby boy-to-be.

Gary, who was on a fat-loss TV show, and children's author Wendy are now expecting after years of trying; but also discover that Gary's neglectful, NASCAR driver father, Ramsey, and his young wife are going to have twins. The sad-sack, wimpy, whining son is one-upped by the old man - again.

Ad man Alex and professional photographer Holly are looking to adopt an Ethiopian newborn; while Marco and Rosie - who work in competitive food trucks - have a one-night stand. Somehow, all of these characters end up connected with each other, no matter how far-fetched these situations become.

And for couples having their first children, there is little chemistry or real love exhibited herewithin. The emotional depth is as shallow as a saucer and just as inconsequential.

Most of the yuks here are from Wendy, who wanted "the glow" of pregnancy, but discovers the aches, pains and uncontrollable bodily functions are paramount (her "mother-in-law," however, seems to have no trouble, at all).

A few more - rather uncomfortable - laughs are solicited from Janice (Wilson), Wendy's idiot assistant (who honestly gets more snickers due to her weight than her jokes, sad to say).

The movie's worst crime, though, is Alex's association with a group of depressing new dads, including Rock, Huebel and Lennon, who meet at a park each day and spout unwanted and unnecessary advice to him about being a father.

Few of these scenes are funny - and a running gag of one of the men's children tripping, falling and being hit in the head with full beer cans - is simply dreadful.

A herky-jerky film which lacks a fluid, coherent story, as well as any semblance of pacing, aborts what could have been a much better movie and will certainly give many viewers sympathy and - most likely - labor pains for its 110-minute running time.

Inoffensive rom-com, my wife and I enjoyed it for light entertainment.

[TxMike · 30 September 2012]

With a title like "What to Expect When You Are Expecting", you pretty well know what the whole movie is about. Its fun comes from having quite a number of different "couples" getting pregnant around the same time and seeing how each deals with it.

First billing goes to Cameron Diaz as TV fitness personality Jules. Her husband is Matthew Morrison (of 'Glee Club') as Evan. But she is only one of the big name stars, including Jennifer Lopez as Holly, who wants to have a child but can't so she and her husband, seek adoption of a young child from an African nation.

Elizabeth Banks is Wendy, pregnant with one while her younger "stepmon" Brooklyn Decker (Andy Roddick's wife) as Skyler is about to have twins.

There is also a side story of Chace Crawford as Marco pursuing Anna Kendrick (of the funny legs) as Rosie, and after a passionate "quickie" she finds herself pregnant. While they are figuring out what to do, she has a miscarriage.

Dennis Quaid is in his humorous good form as Ramsey, wealthy former racing legend, married to Skyler. Chris Rock has mostly a straight role as Vic , one of a band of dads who take their young children for walks in strollers in the park in Atlanta.

This is just entertaining fluff, but it was a bit more entertaining than we expected. There's a lot of witty, funny dialog at times.

whats all the negativity about

[momemma03 · 7/10 · 14 September 2012]

I'm a mom of 4..I thought it was hilarious at times. I don't think anyone can appreciate this movie if they don't have kids. Its a movie people! It kept my interest. I like the fact it mixed good w bad..happy and sad. Life ain't peachy keen all the time! It was stuff we go through as couples. The father group sessions were great. The scenarios believable. Was it my top 5 movies of all time no. But id watch it again sometime! There were plenty of good actors. You have the mom who stays skinny and hot(that was me w baby 2 and 3) I got fat w 1 and 4..lol. I can't think of anything else to say. Redbox it for a 1.00 and see for yourself. But for ppl who said it was boring I just don't get it

Not as Great as I Was Expecting!!!

[Pumpkin_Man · 6/10 · 23 May 2012]

I understand this movie is inspired by the best-selling pregnancy book, but it's very different. The book itself is only shown twice in the whole movie. There were some cute funny moments, and sad heart-breaking moments. My favorite performance was Elizabeth Banks as Wendy. Her portrayal seemed the most accurate. Anna Kendrick as Rosie was pretty depressing. Jennifer Lopez as Holly was tender-hearted. She is unable to conceive and adopts an Ethiopian child. Cameron Diaz as Jules was nothing too special. She is a celebrity host of a weight-loss show. Holly's husband, Alex isn't sure if he's ready to become a parent, so they send him to the Dude's Group. If you like romantic comedies and baby stories, you might enjoy WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING!!!

Don't Expect Much.

[DarkVulcan29 · 5/10 · 21 May 2012]

I like a good all star cast, but in this case,the jokes that are giving here feel very forced, and like they are trying to hard. There are some descent performances by Anna Kendrick, and Dennis Quaid is also memorable in his role, but everybody else are all so overly written, to the point that they are not has memorable.

Several couples are expecting a baby, it shows how they are dealing with it in there own way. The Dudes Group serve little purpose to the film, the poster and the trailer make you feel like there a big part of the film, but not really, that is what annoyed me the most. It's not a bad movie, not great either.

And Brooklyn Decker is a little memorable has Quaids wife.

More For Family/Dates than for Comedy

[rgkarim · 6/10 · 18 May 2012]

I don't understand why there is such a big wave for multi-star movies. Apparently the movies New Years Eve and Valentines Day didn't fail enough to convince people that lots of stars equals fragmented plots and poor entertainment quality. So why in the world are we getting another compilation movie based on a pregnancy advice book? I can't answer that question, but I can give you my review of the latest Dramedy Romance movie What To Expect When You're Expecting.

As the numerous trailers have shown, this movie is about five couples that face different challenge of becoming parents. Jules (Cameron Diaz) and Evan (Matthew Morrison) are celebrities who have to balance their careers with pregnancy. Holly (Jennifer Lopez) and Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) is an adopting couple with Alex needing some advice from the Dudes Group. Wendy (Elizabeth Banks) a struggling children's book writer and her husband Gary (Ben Falcone) are experiencing their first pregnancy, while competing with Gary's dad (Dennis Quaid) and his wife Skyler (Brooklyn Decker) who seem to be having a wonderful time. Finally Rosie (Anna Kendrick) and her one night stand Marco (Chace Crawford) have to deal with issues of their own when their night of fun results in conception.

Already you can see the copious amount of drama and issues this movie is filled with and surely you must be wondering how they tied all of these stories together. The answer is that they essentially tied them together in a similar manner seen in Valentines Day, where each character would have snippets of screen time to quickly push along the story. Although this movie has made slight improvements from the holiday themed comedies, the movie is still essentially the same cut and paste presentation. Only a few of the main characters actually know each other, and their interaction with the other protagonists are sometimes creative, yet mostly weak. Instead they decided to sacrifice the story and replace it with lots of silly situations and cheesy one-liners that were shown repeatedly in the trailers. Some of the comedy was a little raunchy and awkward, while other comedic lines were overacted attempts to make you laugh. Thus, you can guess that the most of the "funny" dialog in this movie had already grown stale for me by the time I got to the movie. A few lines of the movie made me laugh, mainly from Vic (Chris Rock ) who led the Dudes group and spurred on the jokes. However, the cast member who had the most laughs from the audience was Rebel Wilson who played the idiot assistant that delivered the Baby Mama like lines. While I laughed at the first few lines, Wilson eventually got old and I looked for something else to focus on. Although the secondary characters entertained me the most, I have to say I was impressed with Diaz and Kendrick in this film. Both of them surprised me with how complex a role they played, being funny at one part and serious in the other. The actresses also had some character development roles in the film as well, and perhaps the most interesting and meaningful stories of the bunch.

This brings me to my next things to talk about. Although this movie does have a large amount of comedy, it also has some serious moments as well. Each character faces their own ups and downs of pregnancy, and I felt the movie did a decent job of introducing the problems and the appropriate response to the situation. However, since this movie was meant to be lighthearted and it was fragmented, they didn't really take the time to properly develop the situation. Most of the problems were sad for about two minutes, but quickly settled the problem a few seconds later. While this kept the movie going, I still felt a little cheated in the drama category. Despite the rushed pace though, this movie also does a good job pulling the heartstrings and portraying the emotions for starting a family. The countless oohs and aahs from the female audience members today indicated that this movie definitely appeals to the women, while the men will enjoy seeing the beautiful women in this movie. I do warn you though there is a very sad part in this movie that may leave some in tears.

Overall What To Expect When You're Expecting is a movie that is targeted for two audience types. The first is for anyone that has started a family, or wants to start a family will be attracted to this movie. The second are those looking for a date movie and some cheap laughs. If you are in any of these categories, you will probably enjoy the movie more than I did. However, if you are looking for more a comedy like Knocked Up or Bridesmaids, you're out of luck. Again the trailers really ruined this one for me, and not even the good looks of the women could save it from being still a predictable and fragmented mess. My scores for this movie are the following:

Comedy/Drama/Romance: 6.0-6.5 Movie Overall: 4.0-4.5

My opinion is to Netflix or pay per view it, as it will save you time and money. However, if you really want a Baby Mama like comedy movie, well this is the film for you. Tune in next week my friends for more reviews and as always keep enjoying the movies.

Dumb high school humor written for adults who don't want to think.

[peelerboy · 2/10 · 24 September 2012]

Even though I only managed to watch about 70% of this movie before turning it off, it still managed to make me feel as though my IQ dropped several points merely by watching an hour of it. All the funniest scenes were shown in the trailer, which is how we were convinced to watch it. Even the brilliant comedic capabilities of Chris Rock fell flat with this flick's horrendous writing. All the jokes were targeted at the intelligence level of dense teenagers, yet the subject matter was for those more mature. And whoever they hired to establish the mood of each scene with lighting must have come fresh off the daily soap opera boat. Every scene was over-lit and flat in appearance. This movie was a beginning-to-end failure.

What a nice flick, perhaps there should be theaters AND reviewers just for female oriented films

[inkblot11 · 7/10 · 29 May 2012]

In the Los Angeles area, five women are approaching motherhood in different ways. First, Jules (Cameron Diaz), a weight loss expert and television personality, met her dream guy on a Dancing Stars show. After a brief relationship, she unexpectedly finds herself pregnant. Then there's Holly (Jennifer Lopez), who has tried for years to conceive, and is now at the point of adoption with her husband (Rodrigo Santoro). They have just gone through a stressful interview process. As for motherhood-theme store owner Wendy (Elizabeth Banks), she, too, has had trouble with fertility but when she and her husband (Ben Falcone) stop "planned encounters", she becomes happily pregnant. Wouldn't you know her wealthy father-in-law (Dennis Quaid) and his trophy wife, Skyler (Brooklyn Decker) have twins in their near future! Finally, fast food truck operator Rosie (Anna Kendrick) has the dumb luck to run into a very cute fellow food seller (Chace Crawford), who she knew in high school. After a one-night stand, the duo find themselves pregnant and confused. As these ladies go through their nine month journeys, what will they encounter? Along the way, the men get advice from "The Dude Club" (Chris Rock, Thomas Lennon, and others) who regularly walk their offspring in a nearby park! Will any of the dads start running for the hills? This is quite a fine flick about expectant mothers and fathers. It tackles the various roads to parenthood and the very different experiences for each couple. The cast, very large, is wonderful. Not to be catty, but Diaz has obviously had some sort of cosmetic surgery for she has a sparkling rejuvenated look. However, that is small potatoes next to the nice performance she and the others give the audience. The script is loaded with humor and drama, making one laugh and cry at intervals. Then, too, the direction has just the right pace and tone while the sets and costumes are outstanding as well. Dear ladies, don't let anyone persuade you from seeing a film that celebrates a topic near and dear to female hearts. Go and expect great things, you'll be tickled.

What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012) - Not Expecting to Expect Anything Good in This!

[nickmesafilms · 5/10 · 1 September 2012]

You know what I expect? I expect better movies! "What to Expect When You're Expecting" is once again another ensemble rom-com that's basically just a bunch of short stories glued together in a full-length motion picture. You know, with a cast like this, this movie would have been better off with a title like "What to Expect When You're 'Selling Out'". I wouldn't say that this movie was "god-awful", I suppose that maybe a married couple might enjoy something here, but this is still an unoriginal, predictable, and unmemorable piece of "nothing". Director Kirk Jones has provided to give us a giant predictable "sell-out" that does nothing but go with the usual clichés. In movies like this, we usually get a bunch of individual stories packed in one movie, some that we care about, and some that we don't care about. Each story talks about a group of couples who are about to either have a baby, adopt a baby, or deciding whether to have the baby or not. We've seen these stories plenty of times before, so there's already a clue for the audience to know what will happen next. There are some chuckle-inducing moments, and I cared for a few story lines, but it's just a shame because there are so many likable actors in this movie, so this might be considered as a waste of talent. Cameron Diaz plays a weight loss contestant on a reality show who's expecting a newborn with Matthew Morrison, Jennifer Lopez takes the "Angelina Jolie" perspective to adopt an African baby, Elizabeth Banks plays a pregnant woman with tons of anxiety problems on the torture of pregnancy, and what do you know, Chris Rock is actually the leader of a group of "baby daddies". These story lines are probably careless, and mostly not funny, if you ask me! The only two story lines I actually enjoyed involves Anna Kendrick as a young woman who is expecting a baby after a certain one-night stand, and Dennis Quaid as a NASCAR legend who's expecting a new baby with his much younger, and ridiculously hot wife, played by Brooklyn Decker. I actually need to score this movie some points for that! But either way, I wasn't surprised! This movie is exactly what everyone thought it was going to be, so I guess I can say I'm not really that upset with this movie. But "What to Expect When You're Expecting" is not worth watching in any way, but if you're the type of person who enjoys these type of movies, my advice to you...wait for rental! I didn't expect that remark to pop out of my mouth. "What to Expect When You're Expecting", in my review, "predictable and mediocre, but overall unimpressive".

I have no idea why this gets bad reviews.

[LukeCustomer2 · 9/10 · 7 December 2021]

This to me is an adorable movie. One that I can put on and enjoy over and over again. I find it so enjoyable because there is more than one couple and thus we don't have to sustain one story the entire time. Of course.. some stories are worse than others but none drags on too long. Each story is about people that I like and there are no large woke storylines or things that annoy me.

so help me i kinda liked it., its breezy--but often enjoyably breezy..

[mbs · 7/10 · 12 July 2012]

i literally only saw this as a way to kill two hours. I get all dressed up in my nice job interview suit and get to where i have to be only to be told to come back in about three hours. Three hours--but how am i gonna kill that time---grumble grumble grumble--fine so here's the local theater--and the only show time for anything that fits is this movie...and i'm kinda gritting my teeth at the lady in the ticket booth like ugh maybe i should just go to starbucks or something--but i don't wanna spend two hours sitting there pretending to be staring at my phone but really just thinking about how badly i need a job at this point--so i reluctantly go back inside and say fine--one please--and lo and behold---what to expect when you're expecting...and it wasn't a bad way to kill two hours! (i know high praise!) Did i rate this movie better then i would of because it was simply a far far far less painful movie then i assumed it would be? possibly. was i also engaged in the multiple story lines and feel that the actors involved did a good job conveying the problems and conflicted feelings they're supposed to be feeling in a way that felt true and somewhat lifelike while having these various problems? i was and surprisingly yes for the most part. The weak link here i think has got to be the whole Cameron Diaz plot line part---i understood why they included it--she's kind of the glue for everyone else in the movie, she's the host of a reality show that the other characters all either follow or are forced to follow--- but i never thought there was any pay off to her storyline (nor was there really much of a reason to keep cutting back to her except for her to fret and argue with her hubby) and her chemistry with the teacher from Glee was rather non-existent...but that's OK--when you have five or six plot lines they can't all be grade A, and that's also OK when you consider that the plot lines involving Elizabeth Banks, and her husband Ben Falcone are both solid. (i spent the entire movie saying to myself--who IS this guy??? air-marshal from Bridesmaids--but i swear i'd seen him in other things too---he's quite good as the schlubby everyman and should have a fairly nice career if the gods are good... he's embittered about his super competitive dad played by Dennis quiad showing him up at everything including having a baby apparently.,,and while the plot line is largely played for laughs--Falcone does an excellent job at showing you the underlying tension and stress that that relationship is causing him) The plot line involving Anna Kendrick and Chance Crawford ends up being surprisingly engaging even if it kind of peters out in the last half hour or so-- the plot line involving the group of dads (who also never really function as anything other then sight gags and a springboard for various one liners here and there--lord they're almost kind of like a Greek chorus of fatherhood fears and vices--with Chris Rock as the leader of course.) almost made up for the fact that the plot line they're supposed to be in is also a bit on the weak side--altho i did like how the group dynamics and relationship to one another kind of almost form their own movie really. and for what its worth i thought Jennifer Lopez and the actor who played her husband did an adequate job conveying their frustrations at having difficulties conceiving, anxiety about adopting, and eventually overcoming any fears they might have at being parents. (Adequate can be a good thing sometimes--neither one thankfully overdoes it on the dramatics or suddenly lapses into hysterics--they both keep it lifelike and nicely low key enough in giving voice to their various apprehensions) I'm not about to say this is the greatest movie ever made about becoming a parent---some of the jokes are too spacey and not exactly the stuff of life (Elizabeth Banks owns a bookstore and wrote a book called The Breast of Life--haha???--the woman who works with her who was also in bridesmaids is a bit of a dim bulb and not quite someone you'd meet in real life--but she did have a great one liner about wanting to take a 15 minute facebook break.) but the emotions and misgivings the characters all feel about becoming a parent and worrying frantically about messing it all up felt real and honest enough that i think its fairly easy to overlook some of the not so great stuff in the movie---and the performances were all real and honest enough that it was easy to look past some of the more cartoonish elements that sometimes popped up here and there throughout---heck i even thought the resolution between Ben Falcone and his lifelong anger at his dad Dennis Quaid was really really sweet even if that plot line had mostly been played for cartoonish laughs, the resolution felt heartfelt enough. What i'm trying to say is this movie is somehow both better then you think it would be and yet somehow also exactly what you think it is. does that make any sense? Kind of.

A waste of a good cast

[IheartCali5882 · 5/10 · 25 May 2012]

I'm usually pretty good at weeding out the films that put all the best scenes in the trailer then leave you with a bunch of junk when you actually sit through it in its entirety. But I must admit I was fooled with this one. The daddy's group shown in the previews led me to believe this would be an edgy hilarious take on pregnancy. Considering Chris Rock was featured heavily in the clips, I thought it would be a safe bet. Unfortunately Chris Rock's " Dudes group" has minimal screen time, and even when they are on screen, the material is just not funny. If you've seen the trailer, you've seen the best this movie has to offer.

I guess the producers thought they had a huge summer blockbuster on their hands; I mean why else would they pay top dollar for so many A-list actors all in one film if they didn't believe the film would be successful enough to see a return on their investments? It really does baffle me because this film is nowhere near as good as it should be to warrant the hefty paychecks of this cast.

The film centers around a montage of female characters from early pregnancy to delivery (with the exception of Jennifer Lopez, she's looking to adopt). There's a young 20-something who hardly knows her beau at all, a woman who's been looking forward to conceiving with relish but finds the reality of it a rather unpleasant surprise, her younger mother-in-law who, annoyingly, seems to handle her pregnancy with hardly a glitch, and a fitness guru who thinks she can control the whole ordeal like she does her diet and exercise regimen.

Ironically, as a stand alone, any one of these couples stories could have been developed into a decent film. However the mingling of all these stories results in a shallow treatment that makes the film underwhelming. And while this wouldn't necessarily make or break it, add in the fact that the film is just not funny enough, and it's just a waste. Some genuine humor would have made the flaws forgivable. Consider this: The only funny scene of the film is about 20 seconds in duration, containing non-main characters who have about 10 minutes total screen time. Wendi McLendon-Covery (of Bridesmaids) and Thomas Lennon share the single funny scene in the film and they're hardly in the movie, which means.......you get the point.

Overall there is some potential with this film, it's just underdeveloped and badly written. I wouldn't pay to see it, but it's good way to while away a couple hours if you happen to catch it on TV. Other than that, steer clear. This coming from a chick who enjoys rom coms. Thumbs down.

Figuring out whether to watch it or not

[thuytran213-401-124192 · 19 June 2012]

whoever said that "Do knot disturb" is the original and "better" is most likely not the type of reviewer i want to follow, since Netflix reviewers gave DKD 2.5 stars and IMDb reviewers gave it 3.3 stars, much lower that this Movie, and both spots said that DKD was a knock off of the French Moview "The Valet" - 2006 - (La doublure).

In order of interest i would watch The Valet, then possibly "what to expect..." only for the cast, and DKD last -- maybe not ever since a lot of reviewers of DKD said the acting was horrible and is one of the worst movies to come out of the 2 directors of DKD -- i would rather not wast 2 hours of my life on that, I might waste 2 hours on What to expect when expecting since that was my go to book while pregnant, and definitely want to watch The Valet.