Someone must think the Broken Lizard Comedy Troupe are good, as they’re allowed to keep making films. After the likes of Super Troopers, Beerfeest and Broken Lizard’s Stand Up comes The Babymakers. It’s got a talented cast and a decent premise, but unfortunately it screws things up from beginning to end.
Tommy (Paul Schneider) and Audrey (Olivia Munn) are a married couple who decide they want to have a baby. There’s a problem though, as for some reason Tommy’s sperm is rubbish and more interested in swimming in circles than inseminating eggs. This wasn’t always true though, as to pay for his wife’s engagement he got paid to donate some healthy sperm.
After looking into various ways of having a child, Tommy and his mates hatch a plan there’s still one vial of Tommy’s own sperm in the bank, and they’re going to steal it back.
It’s a perfectly fine idea with plenty of potential for laughs, and early on it seems to be setting itself up to be a king of married guy’s American Pie. However the succession of jokes and comedic’ set-ups endlessly fall flat and begin piling up until it becomes almost painful to watch. It almost becomes painful to watch Paul Schneider and Olivia Munn, who have both been very funny elsewhere, giving their all to something that never manages more than the occasional half-smile.
It gets to the point where there’s so little to laugh at that it simply becomes tiresome, especially as some parts seem more like a series of loosely connected sketches than a well-defined plot. By the time is delves to the edge of homophobic humour with the gay couple who want to buy Tommy’s sperm, it’s clear this is a film that runs out of ideas early and is only going to be able to limp its way to the finish.
Even the person I was watching it with, who normally enjoys even the lamest, broadest comedies possible. thought this one was a loser. It’s a great shame for a very good cast who really deserve better material than this. At least Olivia Munn has been having great success this summer with Magic Mike and The Newsroom, so the failure of this one won’t be as much of a blow as it could have been.
Overall Verdict: A sperm heist may sound like a great idea for a comedy, but despite a good cast, The Babymakers is largely laugh free and painfully unfunny.
Special Features:
Making Of’ Featurette
Trailer
Reviewer: Tim Isaac