Making Babies

What Making Babies has going for it is a pair of wonderful performances from its leads Eliza Coupe and Steve Howey. If you’re familiar with their work, you know they are solid comedic actors that ground the silliness of the script. They will carry you to the finish line. It’s also great to see the late Glenne Headly as Katie’s devoutly religious mother, Bird, who is dead set against any IVF procedures. As Dr. Remis, Ed Begley Jr. is just a little too low key for the role he’s been tasked to play, but then how can you not love Ed.

The problem with Making Babies is that it’s just one of those light comedies that fit the basic story structure you learn in screenwriting school, yet has nothing profound to say. I describe the comedy as light because it’s more humorous than funny. You’ll smile but rarely laugh out loud. The comedic bits are not that original. Yes, jacking off into a plastic cup at the clinic is funny, but YouTube is littered with hundreds, if not thousands, of sketches based on this idea. All very textbook.

“…needed to make a choice between going for real laughs or have something profound to say…”

Then there’s the obligatory wacky moment as the couple goes to Caesar (Jon Daly) as the alternative, homeopathic spiritualist sending them on a deep ayahuasca (I think) trip. It gets all wacky and crazy here. Again, it’s all textbook comedy fodder.

I personally question one major plot point, that screws with this string of comedy sketches. Early on, Katie is told by Remis that she has the perfect vagina, which indicates she should be a baby-making machine. If the problem is John’s preference over boxers and briefs, A. Shouldn’t he just switch to boxers and let the boys air out. B. Why is Katie going through all the hormone therapies and medical procedures, and C. why is Katie blamed as the one who can’t have children? The answer is the filmmakers were going for the laugh over telling a cohesive story.