Junior Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman, June 24, 2018

In a world where science means more, biology means less, and traditional gender roles, and gender entirely for that matter, are being thrown out the window why not have a man bear a child?, which released a quarter of a century ago, was in some ways well ahead of its time, whether it meant to be or not. The film, from Director Ivan Reitman, is otherwise a stumbling block Comedy that cooks up a good idea but struggles to find a center. For a movie about the biologically impossible and all of the seemingly unique angles and opportunities afforded to its story, the film choses to simply recycle pregnancy gags and stereotypes with a man, rather than a woman, carrying the child. Make that man a musclebound Arnold Schwarzenegger and it's really only by sheer force of exaggerated imagery that the film works onlevel. But even a talented cast cannot save a movie that struggles with tone and pace even in deciphering its one-trick-pony plot.Dr. Alex Hesse (Arnold Schwarzenegger), in collaboration with OB/GYN Larry Arbogast (Danny DeVito), is in the final stages of testing a radically advanced new drug they call "Expectane" that prevents the pregnant female body from miscarrying a child. When their pitch to the FDA goes bad, Hesse decides it's time for a fresh start and buys a plane ticket back to Europe. Arbogast feverishly convinces Hesse to deplane and test the drug on himself. The plan is simple: artificially impregnate Hesse and document the results. As the two attempt to dodge the head of the review board, Noah Banes (Frank Langella), who would certainly disapprove of the pair's scientific methods and assuredly end their careers, Hesse finds himself drawn to a fellow scientist, Dr. Diana Reddin (Emma Thompson), whose ovum Arbogast randomly chose to use in the experiment.reunites Schwarzenegger with his Twins co-star Danny DeVito (hey, Universal...a Blu-ray of, please?). It also reunites the Austrian muscleman with his Kindergarten Cop partner Pamela Reed,the film pairs the former Mr. Olympia with Director Ivan Reitman, who helmed bothand. So there's a whole lot of familiarity amongst the cast and crew and more than a little talent involved in the movie...which just goes to show the importance of a quality script. Bothandare much more balanced movies, both much funnier on the whole withaccomplishing whatstrives to achieve, and that's find familial heart in the midst of both an oddball pairing and an unusual situation.It's interesting that bothanddeal in the artificial, science-backed complexities of pregnancy and the unique external manipulation necessary to achieve an unusual and unnatural conception. In, the story deals with a woman who is impregnated with a mixture of DNA from several individuals, which of course leads to the strong and stunning Schwarzenegger, who received the best of all of his fathers, and the small and weaselly DeVito, who is said to be comprised of excess "genetic garbage."is a little more straightforward, perhaps not scientifically but certainly in that the film is less interested in the emotional centers of its characters and more in the simpleminded comedy of watching a muscled man deal with all of the classic pregnancy symptoms: increased hunger, wild emotional swings, various aches and pains. That's in contrast to taking the time to really explore the deeper, innermost complexities of the nine-month process from an interesting (unheard of) perspective. Wherehits home with its message on family,struggles to find a purpose beyond swapping genders for the sake of earning a few predictable laughs.The performances are at least spirited. DeVito's role is more limited in this film than it was in, the actor here portraying more of a support character and less of an essential partner to his towering co-star. Arnold is engaged in the part, but a generic script that's content to hit pregnancy cliché rather than explore more in-depth character qualities leaves him with little opportunity for range or expressiveness in matters beyond the tired and trite. He's the proverbial trooper, if nothing else, donning a dress and a wig at one point and selling himself as an over-steroided former East German olympian whose physical appearance is the result of years of government-sanctioned doping. He sells the limited bill of goods well enough, capably moaning and groaning and chowing down with fellow mother-to-be Pamela Reed, whose character inalso loved to eat.