[Kill The Critic] The Independent Entertainment Blog [Film-Theatre-Comedy]

Sweet Release Tuesday:  Battle of the DVD Rentals - Tina Fey's "Baby Mama" vs. Helen Hunt's "Then She Found Me"

DVD Release Today: Alternate ending of "Baby Mama"; An actor's directorial debut - "Then She Found Me".

I've been a fan of Academy Award winner Helen Hunt ever since "Quarterback Princess", when she won the game, the guy, and our hearts in a feel good family film that made the budding feminist inside me smile. I stopped watching "Saturday Night Live" religiously about the time Emmy Award winner Tina Fey became a writer for the show I grew up watching. I remember watching "Mad About You", wondering why Hunt wasn't on the big screen making me laugh. I'd occasionally grin at Fey's commentary on the faux news sketch "Weekend Update", and guffaw to see Will Ferrell do something completely insane on SNL (which may or may not have been written by Fey). Then I'd tune out until a quick comedy sketch by former Austin, TX based comedy trio Mr. Sinus (a.k.a. The Sinus Show). Two rising stars. Same network (NBC). Two different reactions to their talent.  

Actress Helen Hunt went on to grab the Oscar for "As Good As It Gets" (1997), portrayed a powerful ad exec opposite Mel Gibson in "What Women Want", a hardened mother in "Pay It Forward" (2000), and starred in an overlooked Woody Allen comedy homage to screwball and film noir classics "Curse of the Jade Scorpion" (2001). But Hollywood, audiences, and time aren't always kind to its leading ladies, and it seems that Hunt is reinventing herself - as a director. 

"Then She Found Me" is Hunt's directorial debut. She also stars in this independent production adapted from a novel by Elinor Lipman that has been praised for its take on romance, motherhood, and what it means to be a fulfilled woman. It has also been panned for the same reason - relegated to basic cable telelvision movie status. There are a few dull moments in this new indie release, which wasn't marketed as well as and spent less time on screen than Fey's major studio gem "Baby Mama".   

Fey has been on the track to success, becoming SNL's first female head writer, which I respect. She penned the script for "Mean Girls" (2004), and makes a funny appearance as a high school teacher who gets caught in the crossfire of characters played by Lindsay Lohan and  the scene-stealing, brilliant Rachel McAdams (see "The Notebook", "Wedding Crashers", "Red Eye"). I don't watch much of "30 Rock", which from what I have seen resembles SNL, but I hear and read nothing but rave reviews. But when it comes to performance and her latest popular release, "Baby Mama", I was a little disappointed with the lowbrow, juvenile humor. I love a good immature gag, and Amy Poehler is always interesting to watch, but the load of gags overwhelms the sensitive topic which could have used a lighter, literate touch at certain moments - something "SNL" is not famous for delivering.

I'm not begruding Fey's success. Although I have publicly admitted to not enjoying most of her performances on television, she makes a lot of other people laugh, and I appreciate her working as a writer, comedian, actor, and producer in male dominated media. But I am a little bothered by Hunt's struggle for respectability and success as a filmmaker in a market that doesn't respect a different comedic approach to women's lives and struggles. Why is it literate movies about women's lives are considered inferior to the broad comedy that pokes fun at our biological and personal needs as women? Luckily, Hunt is still considered "A-List" in Hollywood, and Fey is still running the comedy race. Maybe she'll spoof Republican V.P. candidate Sarah Palin as a guest on "SNL"?  Maybe there is hope for more quality entertainment produced by women.

You may not want to dole out the extra money to purchase either DVD, but I recommend adding these to your Netflix or Blockbuster queues, or making a trip to your favorite local video store, like Vulcan or I ♥ Video.

Here are the DVD stats, with a KTC rating:

Baby Mama (2008) - A thirty-something businesswoman wants to have a baby, and a surrogate is found, with comical results. Read the studio synopsis @ IMDB.com.  
Director/Writer: Michael McCullers
Cast: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler
U.S. Screen Release: 25 April 2008 (Universal Pictures) 
DVD Release : 9 September 2008
Critics/Audience Rating Avg.: 2.5 (out of 4 stars)
KTC Rating: 2

Then She Found Me (2008) - "A New York schoolteacher hits a midlife crisis when, in quick succession, her husband leaves, her adoptive mother dies and her biological mother, an eccentric talk show host, materializes and turns her life upside down as she begins a courtship with the father of one of her students. " (IMDB synopsis by CartmanKun@aol.com)
Director: Helen Hunt
Writers: Hunt, Alice Arlen, Victor Levin
Cast: Hunt, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler
U.S. Screen Release: 2 May 2008
DVD Release: 9 September 2008
Critics/Audience Rating Avg.: 3 (out of 4 stars)

KTC Rating: 3

Happy Sweet Release Day!

~ diy danna