“I’m pregnant.” —Alex
Today’s quick review: Junior. Dr. Alex Hesse (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Dr. Larry Arbogast (Danny DeVito) are on the verge of a medical breakthrough: a miracle drug that prevents miscarriages. But when their funding is cut, the two scientists must resort to desperate measures to keep the project alive. With the unwitting help of Dr. Diana Reddin (Emma Thompson), they start testing the drug on Alex by implanting him with an embryo.
Junior is a comedy about a man rendered pregnant as part of a medical experiment. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Alex Hesse, an uptight scientist who agrees to an unconventional procedure to further his research. What begins as a simple experiment turns personal as Alex becomes attached to the baby growing inside him. Junior is a straightforward take on a far-fetched premise, with decent fundamentals but not the sharp humor to make it stand out.
Junior has the advantage of having a truly one-of-a-kind premise, but it lacks the ingenuity to capitalize on it. The movie only really has one source of humor: seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger go through the motions of pregnancy. This does prove to be a fertile source of humor, managing to fill out an entire movie with no padding or diversions. But the jokes themselves are predictable, and the movie doesn’t seem to care about surprising the audience.
Still, Junior handles the basics well enough, and the story delivers what it promises. Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger make for a fun comedy pair even when they don’t have that much to work with. Emma Thompson rounds out the lead trio nicely. There are even the makings of a few good subplots, although the movie doesn’t invest enough time in them for them to bear fruit. Junior tells a coherent story but doesn’t go far beyond that.
Junior is mainly worth a watch for the novelty value. Two good leads, a unique premise, and a decent script are enough to make it a passable watch. But its jokes fall shy of what they need to be to make Junior a successful comedy, and the movie doesn’t bring much to the table beyond its initial setup. Fans of Schwarzenegger’s family comedies may get a kick out of Junior, but anyone else can skip it without missing much.
For a similarly improbable comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, try Twins. For a romantic comedy about a man forced to get in touch with his feminine side, try What Women Want.
4.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for humor that never really shines.