Baby Boom (1987)

Sweet-natured comedy from the heart in which Diane Keaton delivers one of her best performances to date. I remember seeing this film back when it was released in 1987 and I loved it. I love it more today than I did then. It's funny, sweet, sassy and charming without being too mushy.

Fmovies: Captivating comedy with Diane at her most disarming. Her initial Tiger Lady is sharp as a tack without being inhuman and once the baby comes into her life she flutters and stammers just enough too imply a natural ruffling without losing her main character. I know many feel that Annie Hall is her best work but really this is the clearest example her star power with a good deal of her more exaggerated tics stripped away. While there are many charming secondary characters, the small town handyman, Sam Shepard as the vet, the yuppie day travelers etc. this is Diane's show all the way buoyed by her marvelous chemistry with the young baby, twin sisters actually, who plays her unexpected daughter.

Sweeter than sugar Keaton is delightfully charming in this pleasant comedy about a high powered business executive who lives in her work, until she inherits a baby girl from distant relatives who have been killed. Lovely all the way through with a witty script from Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer and good support from the always wonderful Shepard and from Sam Wannamaker.

Baby Boom fmovies. "Baby Boom" is a cute, sweet, and charming comedy with a funny performance by Diane Keaton as a New York career woman who has her life turned upside down when she inherits a baby from a distant relative. The first half of "Baby Boom" is dynamite, when Keaton has to deal with the frustrations of early motherhood and handle her job almost at the same time. The scene where she tries to put a diaper on the toddler is classic comedy. I was explosively laughing out loud at that scene. Another very funny moment is when Keaton interviews potenial nannies. Who would have ever thought that she would interview an Iranian woman for the position? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The second half isn't quite as hilarious as the first. It does tend to sag just a tad bit, but that doesn't hurt the film. As a whole, "Baby Boom" is a terrific comedy that I thought was better than "3 Men and a Baby", which came out in theaters just after this one. "3 Men and a Baby" was funny too, but "Baby Boom" is funnier.

***1/2 (out of four)

J.C. (Diane Keaton) is a business executive with a fast-paced existence, including power lunches, serious hair and more. Her life is turned upside down, however, when a close relative dies and leaves J.C. in charge of a toddler girl. Suddenly, big promotions or assignments are not coming J.C.'s way and she decides to move to Vermont and be a stay at home mother. There, she meets attractive Dr. Jeff (Sam Shepard). However, her old house needs many repairs and she must make some cash. Will she opt to return to her former life?

This darling movie features Keaton at the top of her game. Her initial reactions to becoming a mother are hilarious. Shepard, also, does a fun turn as the one eligible bachelor anywhere in sight in the Vermont setting. Big corporations take a pretty severe beating as depicted in this film but it is all in fun. If you go to the library or video store and the hot new stuff is checked out, try to find this film instead. It is worthy of recognition among those who like romance movies and for those who think they don't.

Baby Boom (1987) Dir: Charles Shyer Finally, Keaton's career starts to show signs of wear and tear. After five years of less than satisfactory productions she scores a hit in this late '80s comedy. Unfortunately, it also signals a trend towards more commercial and less artistically challenging pieces, but hey, a hit's a hit! Keaton plays a single high-powered business exec who winds up as legal guardian to a baby of a recently deceased distant relative. Many entanglements ensue and Keaton winds up leaving her high paying job and moving with the baby to Vermont. Along the way she falls in love with the local veterinarian (Sam Shepard) and winds up making a fortune marketing the homemade baby apple sauce. Okay, so it's hoaky. But I enjoyed it and it's played lightly and with more class than most recent comedies.