Movie reviews: Hollywood and Indie, specializing in independent comedies, dramas, thrillers and romance.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Conception: Movie Review
Lacking in originality and meaning; swarming with characters.
Conception starts in the classroom with the best part. One little boy raises his hand and asks where babies come from. Our young teacher squirms and then tells him to ask his parents. Instantly a second little boy has his hand so far in the air, he can’t sit down. So teacher calls on him, and he informs first little boy that he knows where babies come from, so he will tell him. Our young hero goes from fear to defeat and then proceeds into the explanation.
2011
Directed by: Josh Stolberg
Screenplay by: Josh Stolberg
Starring: Connie Britton, Alan Tudyk and Julie Bowen
This is where the movie steps in and goes straight down hill from the delightfully funny start which found a way to remain funny despite how many times it had been done before. The problem is this film has 9 different couples. After watching, I honestly had no idea how many there were, so I was going to say a half-dozen plus/or minus a few. I ended up counting from the credits, just for you, my dear reader. I think we can all agree that 18 main characters is too many.
One couple is trying to conceive, one couple has a newborn, one couple is breaking up, one couple is hooking up, one couple is experimenting, and the rest are probably just trying to figure things out. We spend enough time with each couple to get a cute joke as we are introduced to their problem, but not enough time to get anything meaningful out of their relationship, and then too much time so the annoying couples start to wear on you.
For each viewer, the couple that you relate to, or the couples that irritate you will be different. But it is certain that you will connect to somebody and the rest will seem to just take up time and space. I liked Alan Tudyk and America Olivo the best. One other couple and one-half of another couple were tolerable.
There are plenty of recognizable actors who I am sure enjoyed the many sexually-driven scenes. But there just doesn't seem to be a point to any of it.
