Last year, Time magazine reported that pregnancy was the #1 best “chore” to be outsourced . Never far behind a cultural trend, Hollywood recently stumbled upon comedic genius and derived a comedy about–what else? — surrogacy.
If the subject matter for the recent blockbuster, Baby Mama , does not instantly strike you as hilarious, consider the cast of characters, expertly rendered as caricatures, that subdue your heart (and mind) to a more culturally acceptable setting for a surrogacy arrangement (and all its hilarity) to ensue.
First there’s the career-driven protagonist, Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey). After achieving all of her professional goals and rising to the top of a growing health food retailer, Kate realizes that she wants progeny. The only problem keeping her from this goal is not that she is single, nor her age (37), but her anatomy: Kate’s uterus is T-shaped. Fortunately for our heroine, technology offers reproductive salvation through surrogacy, and all she needs is a human carrier.
Enter the surrogacy broker, Chaffee Bicknell (Sigourney Weaver). Kate is not completely sold on the idea of surrogacy, which she views as being for “weirdos”. But it only takes Chaffee’s reassuring explanation that a surrogate is much like a nanny, only a surrogate cares for the baby before it’s born. With this euphemized and oversimplified definition (and agreement to pay the agency’s $100,000 fee!), Kate is ready to move on to select the carrier. The winning candidate is a trashy, unstable, junk food-addict named Angie Ostrowiski (Amy Poehler)–a perfect comic foil to the fastidious, ambitious Kate.
(To the astute reader who may have noticed someone important is missing: the sperm donor is a minor character. Apparently there’s not enough room for daddy
Author Profile
Latest entries
FeaturedSeptember 5, 2024Your Generosity Creates Opportunity for Impact
SurrogacySeptember 3, 2024Gloria Ruiz Surrogacy Story Picked Up by Christian Network Europe
Sperm DonationMarch 15, 2022Venus Rising with Edward Saulig: Reflections of a Sperm Donor
BioethicsMarch 13, 2022Dr. C. Ben Mitchell: 2022 Ramsey Award Winner