J.C. Wiatt (Keaton) thinks she has it all together. Beautiful and talented, she's on the road to certain success. So when an adorable baby girl comes into her life by way of a distant cousin's will, it's J.C. who breaks ou... more »t in a rash! Juggling power lunches and powdered formula, she is soon forced off the fast track by a conniving colleague and a bigoted boss. But this lady won't stay down for long. She'll prove to the world that a woman can have it alland onher own terms too!« less
Sharon F. (Shar) from AVON PARK, FL Reviewed on 8/27/2022...
An oldie, but goodie! Diane Keaton makes a wonderful executive turned mother. Lots of laughs.
Ursula S. from BRANFORD, CT Reviewed on 12/21/2012...
Very nice movie. Funny and romantic. Diane Keaton and Sam Shepard are great. I will be watching it over and over. It's a great rainy day movie.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Melissa B. from PAWTUCKET, RI Reviewed on 12/17/2012...
Great movie, about juggling family, boyfriend/husband/job and women's issues that men cannot possibly relate to. Very entertaining if not somewhat far fetched, but enjoyable chick flick nevertheless.
Movie Reviews
She Did It Her Way!
L. Shirley | fountain valley, ca United States | 11/01/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This review refers to MGM's DVD edition of "Baby Boom".....They call her "The Tiger Lady". She's a woman of the 80's.She's a high powered ad exec,with a six figure income,has an apartment to die for, which she shares with her significant(but slightly dull)other(also a six figure income),and is about to become a partner in the firm.She's J.C.Wiatt,a real go-getter. She has it all. Or does she?Diane Keaton turns in a touching and funny performance as this dynamic woman, whose life is suddenly turned upside-down by a surprising inheritance. No, not money or a family heirloom, this inheritance is "Elizabeth"....a bouncing bundle of joy who melts the heart of the Tiger Lady and will melt yours as well.A toddler was not part of J.C.'s plan.How will she juggle her career and motherhood? And what about romance,can that ever be part of her future now? It doesn't look good. But when life hands J.C. Wiatt lemons(and a baby)...she does it her way...she makes applesauce!Written by Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer(who also directed), it is a nostalgic look back at the evolving baby boomer.A marvelous supporting cast includes Harold Ramis, Sam Wanamaker,Sam Shepard, and James Spader as the protoge from hell. It's a sweet and funny feel good tale. The music by Bill Conti gives the perfect feel to the story.The DVD is presented in widescreen(1.85:1) and the sound is in Dolby Digital stereo surround. The picture is good. Not the shaprest I've seen on a film this recent, but a nice view.The surround sound is nice. The music and dialouge both clear and disguinishable.There is a theatrical trailer and it may be viewed in French(also stereo) and has subtitles in French and Spanish, but none in English. If you are interested in this film and are needing English subtitles, there is a German edition(PAL)with English captioning out there. I did not see it sold here at Amazon though."Baby Boom" is a fun romantic comedy that was nominated for Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture(Comedy/Musical) and Best Actress(Comedy/Musical).4 stars.Thanx and enjoy......Laurie"
DIANE KEATON IS MAGIC
R. Penola | NYC, NY United States | 12/17/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Baby Boom remains one of my favorite silly movies -- featuring so many enticing and amusing elements, it is like a terrific turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving, with loads of mayo. Diane Keaton, always one of my personal favorites, displays her usual charm and actually makes you laugh out loud at many points throughout. Her Tiger Lady is one of the best caricatures of a shark-like corporate female ever, and her blossoming softness, courtesy of that adorable baby girl, is a joy to behold. The settings, from the hustle-bustle of a cheerfully skewed Manhattan office and environs, to the Christmas-card perfection (but don't be fooled!) of a Vermont farmhouse, pull you in, and add color to a predictable but funny plot. Sam Shepard lends his trademark subtlety and attractiveness as a Vermont vet. This movie is hard to resist."
Engaging Performance by Diane Keaton
Reviewer | 01/13/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"As anyone who has walked a mile or two knows, life is about choices and making decisions. And a lot of that has to do with realizing and setting priorities, because-- as a wise person once said-- You Can't Have It All. It's the lesson we all learn in our own way in our own time, according to our own personal situation, and director Charles Shyer examines one of them in his amiable comedy, "Baby Boom," starring Diane Keaton. J.C. Wiatt (Keaton) is a high-powered businesswoman on the fast track to success; she knows what she wants, has set her priorities, and a partnership in the firm for which she works is on the horizon. Her live-in significant other, Steven (Harold Ramis), is of a like mind-set, so they complement one another's life style perfectly. Marriage and/or having children is in neither of their respective vocabularies. then one day, J.C. "inherits" a baby, the child of a distant relative (a cousin she'd met only once) who has been killed in a tragic accident, and suddenly, J.C.'s world is turned upside down. Keeping the baby is out of the question, of course. Or is it? For J.C., it just may not be as simple as it seems, initially. She's been living life on her own terms, but now she is once again faced with choices, decisions and setting priorities. And along the way, she learns one of life's most important lessons: The fact that the lesson never ends. There's some amusing moments and some insights to be gleaned from Shyer's film, and overall it's a pleasant, enjoyable experience. It is not, however, an entirely original idea, and Shyer laces it with stereotypes and cliches to boot. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though. If his characters are stereotypical, it's because they reflect a certain realism. J.C.'s boss, Fritz Curtis (Sam Wanamaker), for instance, typifies the image of a dedicated, hard-core businessman whom you get the feeling has to consult his day planner to work in an appointment with his own family. A stereotype? Perhaps. A reflection of reality? Definitely. The same can be said for Sam Shepard's character, Dr. Jeff Cooper, who personifies the general image of one in his situation. And again, it is a reflection of reality, stereotypical though it may be. Even the cliches are handled in a way that makes them fresh enough to work within the context of the story, and be appreciated-- especially by those in the audience who may have experienced any of the situations presented here. When J.C. fumbles with a diaper and becomes frustrated with her own inexperience and incompetence with such things, it's cliche, but it also rings true-to-life. The important thing is, it's all well presented and actually pretty funny stuff, even if it isn't anything new. Shyer wrote the screenplay, along with Nancy Meyers, and one angle they may have failed to cultivate fully has to do with Ken, the character played by James Spader. As J.C.'s in-house adversary, also striving to climb the corporate ladder, it may have been intrinsically more interesting had the character been a woman. The fact that Ken is a man, again, makes this particular situation fairly cliche; whereas a competitive conflict with another woman, considering J.C.'s predicament, would have expanded the avenues of possibility to a much greater extent, and certainly would have provided a more imaginative perspective. The main reason the film works as well as it does, however, is because of the engaging performance by Diane Keaton. In J.C., she creates the antithesis of Annie Hall, but even at her most demanding there is a hint of vulnerability in J.C., a softness to that hard exterior edge she uses to shoulder her way through the business world. Keaton gives you a real sense of the conflict she's experiencing, and though it's lightheartedly rendered for the most part, you understand the underlying seriousness of it all. And the scene in which she vents her frustrations and bares her soul to Dr. Cooper is classic. Keaton's work is without question the highlight of the film, and what really brings it to life. The supporting cast includes Pat Hingle (Hughes Larabee), Britt Leach (Verne), Kim Sebastian (Robin), Mary Gross) Charlotte, Patricia Estrin (Secretary)Victoria Jackson (Eve), Jane Elliot (Park Mom) and Linda Ellerbee (Narrator). An upbeat, entertaining film, "Baby Boom" may not be particularly memorable, but it does provide some laughs, and at the same time says something about the value of being given the opportunity to question the things we "think" we want. Kind of like saying "Never say never." After all, who can say with any certainty where destiny may lead any of us? It's something a film like this may make you consider, inbetween the chuckles. It's the magic of the movies."
A guilty pleasure..
Bruce E | Sunnyside, NY USA | 02/09/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's silly, it's sentimental, it's not a "great" film, but it'll charm the pants off you. Ten years after "Annie Hall" Keaton hits her prime playing a force of nature transformed by a three-year-old and Sam Shepard's gentle country vet. This is a spartan DVD with few frills--just the original trailer and the choice of English or French soundtracks and French/Spanish/English subtitles.On my "Rent," "Buy," or "Don't Bother" scale this is a definite "Buy.""
My own favorite Diana Keaton film
Bruce E | 08/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was delighted by this movie about a woman who dosen't think she's cut out for parenthood, (as she tells her roomate/semi- boyfriend at the beggining after he asks her if she'd like to own a dog, "I'm not good with living things." Although, the fact that most of her time is used up with work probably has something to do with it,) who suddenly and with out warning has the role thrown on her when a distant reletive dies, leaving her with a certian inheritence. She dosen't know what it is at first because when someone calls her up to tell her, the phone reception is so bad. She finds out what it is later at the airport, in my own favorite scene in the film, when she asumes that she's going to be inheriting money and that the baby who's with the woman she's meeting is probably the woman's own daughter. (The moral: never sighn an unread contract.) It's only after she's sighned it that she finds out what the real deal is. There is then a bit of argueing between the two women, J.C. (Diana Keaton's charecter) insisting that she's not the right person for the job, and the other woman insisting that she's the only person. The woman then leaves J.C. with baby Elizebeth, saying,"Once you get the hang of it, I'm sure you'll make an excellent mother!" The rest of the film is about J.C. trying to adjust to it all. A wonderful comedy classic."