Taking baby steps
Entertaining, if somewhat predictable, story pokes fun at impending parenthood
It occurred to me, watching Baby Done, that the pandemic has been relatively kind to movie-going parents of young children. In the Before Time — before the pandemic, yes, but also before my offspring grew into capable humans — a trip to the cinema involved feeding prep and babysitter negotiations (and fees). Not exactly a spontaneous night out.
But with most cinemas closed and many movies going straight to streaming, new parents need only wait for junior to go to sleep before cranking up the VOD. And you've usually got 48 hours of rental time to finish the film, in case someone wakes up or one of you nods off.
Baby Done will speak to you. The New Zealand production was written by Sophie Henderson and directed by Curtis Vowell, and while you might not
know either of them, the name of executive producer Taika Waititi probably rings a bell. And if you're expecting gentle comedy based on that imprimatur, you're good there, too.
Rose Matafeo and Matthew Lewis star as Zoe and Tim, professional tree pruners who discover in the opening scene that they're expecting. Well, she discovers it, and then immediately goes into denial. Even after Tim finds out, she's convinced she can live any way she likes through the pregnancy, even planning a trip to British Columbia to enter a tree-climbing competition there.
The screenplay pokes fun at the trappings of incipient parenthood,
including gender reveal parties, baby-shower games (Zoe and Tim go at them like it's the Olympics), nesting behaviour and antenatal classes, which is what prenatal classes are called in the antipodes.
It's an appropriate term in this case, as it's led by about the most anti-natal instructor imaginable.
Oh, and there's a great running gag about people who insist on referring to “the baby” as just “baby.” Never mind pronouns — get your articles straight!
Clever if just a touch predictable — especially during the third trimester — Baby Done is lighthearted, escapist entertainment, and even includes some terse advice for would-be fathers. “Your main job is to cope and not go travelling,” Tim's father-in-law instructs him.
Good advice for these pandemic times as well, parenthood or no.