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Baby Done

Baby Done is a film I had my suspicions about going in but it actually surprised me with its odd Kiwi charm and no little humour. This is a maternity comedy/drama from New Zealand, directed by Curtis Vowell (only one other feature to his name) and written by Sophie Henderson (who has a similarly light CV as a writer). But Henderson specifically has to take the bulk of the credit here for splashing a bit of life into this genre and dealing out some great lines and set-ups. The leads, Rose Matafeo and Matthew Lewis (Auckland is a long way from Hogwarts), bounce off each other perfectly well, each having a few golden moments to shine. The tension comes from the fact that Zoe (Matafeo) doesn't really want a baby and would prefer to go to Canada for the International Tree Climbing Championship (yep, apparently it's a thing), yet Tim (Lewis) is super chuffed and ready to settle down.

The low key feel to the film is a strong point. If I mention piss, vomit, attempted threesome shagging and a preggophile who's into plaster casting you may be forgiven for thinking this is a gross-out comedy but it rides those events with style and wit. The end of the threesome sequence, for example, has Zoe and her friend arguing about the environmental impact of having a baby. And the preggophile character, Brian, played by Nic Sampson, isn't strictly played for weirdness value, though he has some of the best (awkward) laughs. There's also a show-stopping gag near the end that I won't spoil, but it almost brought the house down at the screening I attended.

The supporting cast play it as straight as an arrow, with special mention for Rachel House as a deadpan school principal, and the host of the antenatal class (whose name I sadly can't track down). The presence of Taika Waititi as an executive producer shouldn't be understated. It's as though the Kiwis are riding a kind of Taika wave at the moment, similar to the influence Ricky Gervais had on English comedy a few years back. And this is a positive in my book.

See also:

Difficult to choose as I'm a bit out of my element but maybe Jason Reitman's Juno (2007) about another reluctant mother-to-be and Taika Waititi's Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) for a similar feel.

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