With Waitress, Knocked Up, Juno, and even The Brothers Solomon having already played the cinematic field of pregnancy for all it's worth, it seems strange that Baby Mama would arrive so late in the game. Then again, it's easy to forgive this situation,  considering the comedic pedigree the movie carries with it. Because Tina Fey, who's a big hit on TV's 30 Rock, and Amy Poehler, both of SNL fame, are the stars, I hoped Baby Mama would bring a smarmy, female-driven perspective to its story, as opposed to the sort of frat boy mentality of Knocked Up. Instead, Baby Mama rehashes material tossed around from movie to movie before it, breaking no new ground in a comedic sense nor in a thematic one.

On the surface, Kate Holbrook (Fey) seems to have the perfect life. Her career has been a stellar one, capped off by being named vice president in charge of building a new store for the organic foods franchise she works for. There's just one thing missing from Kate's world and she wants it desperately: a baby. After a few disasterous dates and a grim revelation about her anatomy puts the kibosh on her hopes of conceiving naturally, Kate decides to do the next best thing and hire a surrogate mother to carry her baby. As it turns out, though, the best candidate for the job is Angie Ostrowski (Poehler), a shrill, lazy, junk food-swilling harpy more enticed by the cash she'll get than over the prospect of motherhood. But despite this, Kate presses onward, determined to make things work with Angie in order to fulfill her dreams of having a child.

Sometimes a comedy's best jokes can be found in the previews. In the case of Baby Mama, not only are the funniest gags in the trailers, I'm pretty sure they're the only gags in the whole movie. Take out a confused Poehler trying to tackle a baby-proofed toilet and Fey doing an Irish jig in a nightclub, and what's left is a sitcom that probably wouldn't make it past the pilot stage. Baby Mama builds itself on an "Odd Couple" sort of premise (prim and proper Kate trying to put up with Angie's slobby shenanigans), but it proceeds to take itself a little too seriously. Just as the recent 27 Dresses bowed down to its own set of stereotypes, this film passes up each and every opportunity to satirize the idea of a woman feeling like she needs a baby to complete herself, opting instead to play itself almost as straight as can be.

This is a premise begging to go for broke, to include  equal parts grossness and sweetness in the Judd Apatow style. Unfortunately, the film almost bends over backwards to try and leave viewers with that warm, fuzzy feeling -- so much so it's almost nauseating. Such troubles (not to mention an aimless subplot or two) can thankfully be chalked up to a bad script, as the performances are virtually the only things stopping Baby Mama from becoming completely toxic. Fey and Poehler worked wonderfully on SNL, and despite having to deal with a cornball story, these leading ladies play well off each other, creating interesting enough rapport to at least keep the proceedings moving. However, I have to say that those moments when I did manage to let out a couple of chuckles were mostly due to Steve Martin's glorified cameo as Kate's New Age-y boss, as well as Sigourney Weaver's brief appearance as a woman who's surprisingly fertile for her age.

Baby Mama has given me a deeper appreciation for the still-overhyped Juno. Having seen both films tackle the subject of pregnancy in a humorous light, with a few life-affirming breaks scattered throughout, I realize now that Juno took on this task like a seasoned pro. Baby Mama, on the other hand, did it with all the tact and delicacy of a bull in a blindfold.

MY RATING: * 1/2 (out of ****)

(Released by Universal Pictures and rated "PG-13" for crude and sexual humor, language and a drug reference.)