She's Having a Baby

She's Having a Baby
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Hughes
Produced by John Hughes
Bill Brown
Ronald Colby
Written by John Hughes
Starring
Music by Stewart Copeland
Cinematography Donald Peterman
Edited by Alan Heim
Production
company
Hughes Entertainment
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • February 5, 1988 (1988-02-05)
Running time
 106 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $20 million[1]
Box office $16 million (domestic)[2]

She's Having a Baby is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed and written by John Hughes.

The film portrays a young newlywed couple, Kristy and Jake Briggs played by Elizabeth McGovern and Kevin Bacon, who try to cope with married life and their parents' expectations.

Plot

This film looks at the lives of Jefferson "Jake" (Kevin Bacon) and Kristy Briggs (Elizabeth McGovern), from their wedding day until the birth of their first child, mostly through Jake's eyes, with his voiceover commentaries and several imaginary scenes. Jake asks his best friend, Davis McDonald (Alec Baldwin) before the wedding if he thinks he will be happy, to which his friend says, "Yeah, you'll be happy. You just won't know it."

After their wedding, Jake and Kristy head off for New Mexico, where Jake works towards gaining a Master's Degree, but leaves before finishing. They return to Chicago where Jake is hired as an advertising copywriter. Jake says he wants to be a writer, which amuses his boss. Kristy is hired as a research analyst, and they are able to buy a house in the suburbs.

Jake's best friend suddenly visits after not seeing him for two years. Davis tells them that his father has died, and Jake and Kristy are supportive, allowing him to stay the night. Things take a turn for the worse when Davis makes a pass at Kristy, by trying to get her bathrobe open and proclaiming his feelings, but Kristy turns him down, telling him that she is in love with Jake. Meanwhile, Jake begins fantasizing about having an affair with a mysterious young French model.

Jake and Kristy continue to adjust to their new lives until Kristy decides to stop taking contraceptives without telling Jake, until after several months, she informs him that he has been unable to impregnate her. Jake feels pressure from society and from his wife to have a child. The couple begins a fertility program, which eventually succeed. They tell their parents, and while all are overjoyed, Kristy's mother casually informs them that she had a difficult birth with Kristy and nearly died. During a traumatic labor, Jake realizes that his lack of satisfaction was due to his selfishness and immaturity.

The last scene of the film reveals that Jake's voiceover was the new father reading his novel entitled She's Having a Baby to his wife and son.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in Winnetka, IL and Evanston, IL from September 1986 to December 1986.[3] However, several scenes were shot directly in the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. Most of John Hughes's films either take place in Chicago, in the suburbs of Chicago, or are about people going to or coming from Chicago.

Soundtrack

She's Having a Baby
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released 1988
Genre Rock, new wave
Length 37:10
Label I.R.S. / MCA
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]

The She's Having a Baby soundtrack album was released in 1988 on I.R.S. Records label and produced by Dave Wakeling.

The song during the birth sequence is "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush and is featured on her 1989 album The Sensual World. John Hughes is thanked in the album's liner notes.

The song playing during the trailer is "Music for a Found Harmonium" by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. The song played during the street party is "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" by Marvin Gaye.

Track listing

  1. "She's Having a Baby" – Dave Wakeling
  2. "Haunted When the Minutes Drag" – Love and Rockets
  3. "Desire (Come and Get It)" – Gene Loves Jezebel
  4. "Happy Families" – XTC
  5. "Crazy Love" – Bryan Ferry
  6. "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" – Kirsty MacColl
  7. "Apron Strings" – Everything but the Girl
  8. "This Woman's Work" – Kate Bush
  9. "It's All in the Game" – Carmel
  10. "Full of Love" – Dr. Calculus

Reaction

The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics and has 36% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes based on 39 reviews.[5] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave She's Having a Baby a mixed 2 stars out of 4. He wrote that the film "begins with the simplest and most moving of stories and interrupts it with an amazing assortment of gimmicks," being salvaged only by strong performances from Bacon and McGovern.[6]

In An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder director Kevin Smith cites She's Having a Baby as his favorite John Hughes movie. He also cites it as a template for Jersey Girl, joking that both movies were financially unsuccessful.

References

  1. ↑ http://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/59112
  2. ↑ She's Having a Baby at Box Office Mojo
  3. ↑ "She's Having a Baby Filming Locations". 80s Movies.
  4. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Review: She's Having a Baby – Original Soundtrack". Allmusic. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  5. ↑ She's Having a Baby at Rotten Tomatoes
  6. ↑ http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shes-having-a-baby-1988
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