Happy New Year to everyone!
I hope that you can all trust my gut feeling when I say that 2008 is going to be a very ‘Incredible’ year for movies. There is one thing I noticed about the year that we just said goodbye to and I’m sure everyone was aware of it too: 2007 was the year for movies that deal with pregnancy.
Being that I’m a guy, it wouldn’t be fair to analyze something I have limited knowledge about, so I asked a number of movie buffs to find out what the fascination is with movies about pregnancy. What may have caused the trend and why did movies like that attract audiences in 2007?
I’ve compiled their responses and now I present them in brief explanations.
1). Competition
When a studio is going to do a project with a specific theme and might have a box office hit on their hands, other studios hear about it and come up with projects with similar underlining theme to see which movie is better. It’s contagious and the next thing you know, it’s everywhere. It’s a lot like when Armageddon and Deep Impact came out in the same year.
2). Times have changed
Today’s popular culture has been engulfed by a glorified conservative view that sees pregnancy as a sign of love or a gift of life never to be taken for granted, much less looked down upon. Fifty or 60 years ago, movies would have their star say “expecting” instead of the “pregnant,” but now, it’s not only acceptable, it’s celebrated.
3). Realistic
People are getting tired of love stories that are Romeo and Juliet or Titanic-esque. People want something more. Movie pregnancy is popular because unplanned parenthood and teenage pregnancy happens every day. It’s a touchy, relevant subject and people are always curious about how others deal with that situation.
4). Appealing
In a movie, pregnancy complicates the character. What I mean is that it adds to the story or dilemma at hand. The character may already have to face a thousand challenges and suddenly she gets pregnant, too. To some it can be seen as something beautiful, a blessing; to others it’s element for comedy; and some might even get scared of their future. These all make those movies interesting. Audiences want to know what’s going to happen next. It’ like staring at a belly of a pregnant lady when you know it’s wrong to stare at people but you just can’t help it.
Here are 6 movies in 2007 that, in one way or another, portray pregnancy. If I forget to mention any movies, feel free to remind me.
1. KNOCKED UP
Boy meets girl, boy and girl have too much to drink, and baby’s on the way. Ah, the funny side of a one night stand.
2. JUNO
This movie goes to show that though being pregnant at 16 is irresponsible, it doesn’t have to be a bad news.
3. WAITRESS
I think the pregnancy in this movie symbolizes a shot at a second chance, a fresh start to a new beginning all over again.
4. RENDITION
Reese Witherspoon plays a pregnant mother who never gives up. Pregnancy is strength, a reason to carry on.
5. ALIEN Vs. PREDATOR: REQUIEM
Following on the Alien tradition of using pregnant mothers as hosts. Sick, twisted Aliens!
6. SHOOT ‘EM UP
Somehow, delivering a woman’s baby during a shootout seems… disturbingly cool.
