Preggoland is one part realism and one part outrageous exaggeration. The lines don’t always meet, but then they do, this limited release indie flick is well worth the watch.
Ruth is a thirty something supermarket cashier who has never managed to grow up. When she causes a drunken disturbance at a baby shower, her group of friends kick her out of the inner circle. That is, until they mistakenly believe that Ruth is pregnant. Then, she is welcomed back into the fold, to talk about trendy strollers and morning sickness. She considers confessing, but then meets a love interest who seems thrilled with the idea of bringing up Ruth’s imaginary unborn child. The more she lies, the more stuck she gets until it all culminates kind of like you’d expect.
The good points in this movie are Ruth’s character and the ‘baby mafia’ feel. It’s a club that only the trendiest mom’s can join, and the perpetual slacker Ruth just wants acceptance with her friends that have moved on to the next stage in their lives. I imagine it’s a way a lot of childless women feel when they hit their thirties without having a career, or a family or both.
The problems lay in the secondary characters, who were nothing more than a group of clichés. From the trendy soccer moms, to Danny Trejo’s Mexican cashier Pedro, the lack of character development for the secondary characters was poorly done at best, and complete stereotypical at worst. I really haven’t seen a character as bad as Pedro since Speedy Gonzalez. It’s like they crammed every Mexican stereotype into one guy, just for the purpose of getting a few cheap laughs.
The thing is, the storyline is realistic and intelligent. It’s an extremely well done portrayal of that left behind friend who never grew up. Even though what Ruth is doing is reprehensible, you can understand and even sympathize with why she’s doing it. The realism in that character was extremely well done.
Then, you get sucked right out of that realism with poorly done secondary characters who are supposed to act as antagonists, but really, just annoy. You really start to wonder why Ruth even wants to be friends with these people.
The love interest is a little strange too and the script could have gone without it, as that was the least realistic of all. I’ve never met a man who is interested in dating a pregnant women, whose baby is not his. I imagine when I do, he’ll be riding a unicorn…because they’re both imaginary. I felt like the love interest was a completely unnecessary addition to a script already overfilled with too many unbelievable characters.
In some parts, this film shines and in others, it completely falls flat. The scenes with Ruth will draw you in, while the people around her will shove you right back out. It’s an uneven movie with an intriguing premise. If you can tolerate the side characters, and ignore Danny Trejo entirely, it’s absolutely worth the watch.
WE GAVE IT : 3 STARS! Watch the Official Trailer and See the Official Movie Poster below
