There’s a theory in the entertainment industry that women, for the most part, aren’t funny. And if there was ever a woman to disprove this ridiculous theory, I believe that Tina Fey is her. She managed to inject a much needed dose of humor into SNL (a show that, let’s face it, has been struggling for laughs ever since she left). She even managed to keep Mean Girls from being a soppy teenage drama bomb and made it a truly hilarious, and eerily accurate, movie. And if you don’t think that 30 Rock is one of the best comedies on TV right now…I don’t even know what to say to that. Fey is both a great comedic writer and actor, and despite the fact that she’s so hilarious and probably rich enough to buy me on the black market, she manages to remain a down to earth and relatable person. She not only proves that women can be funny, but she proves that they can also be smart, sexy, and normal, all at the same time.

Because of all this, I’m definitely interested in her upcoming film, Baby Mama. Fey plays a successful businesswoman of a certain age longing to have a baby. But due to fertility issues, she has to find herself a surrogate. Enter fellow funny lady Amy Poehler as a dimwitted, Southern-drawling, junk food eating, yet highly fertile baby mama (could her character be based on a certain former Mouseketeer whose life is currently spiraling out of control?). Poehler moves in with Fey during the pregnancy, upsetting Fey’s meticulously ordered life, and naturally, hilarity ensues.

Normally I wait for comedies to come onto DVD, but I might actually make the trip to the theater to SEE IT. I think I owe it to Fey and all the funny women trying to make it in show business.

Baby Mama is not yet rated and opens April 25. (IMDB page)

Feel free to tell us your opinion here

Here are two new romantic comedies that both seem worthy of RENT IT reviews.

First is No Reservations. Top chef Kate, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, is high maintenance, overworked, overstressed, and the closest relationship she has is with her sauté pans. When her sister dies suddenly (presumably in an auto accident), Kate takes in her niece, played by Little Miss Sunshine’s Abigail Breslin. Then to add to the stress of new and unexpected motherhood, she has to deal with a new sous chef in her kitchen, who happens to be a flirtatious cutie and distracts Kate from the only thing she knows how to do: cook like a maniac.

The story of a career-driven single woman being thrust into the role of “mother” and attempting to have a romance isn’t a new one (Baby Boom and Raising Helen both come to mind). But while the story may not be revolutionary, I do like the cast. Zeta-Jones is lovely and can play high maintenance well, Breslin is cute and talented without being irritating and precocious, and Aaron Eckhart is adorably perfect as Kate’s new love interest/kitchen rival. Certainly not worth my $11, but worth a lazy Sunday afternoon on my couch.

Next is The Feast of Love, which appears to be a series of interweaving vignettes on the subject of love (sort of like Love, Actually). There’s the guy whose marriage is ending because his wife has fallen for another woman. Then there’s the new girl who gets a job at a café owned by that guy, and attracts the attention of the dreamy-eyed boy behind the counter. Then the first guy (with the lesbian wife) falls in love again, but with a woman who isn’t available. Are you following me? No? Well, that’s OK, because we have Morgan Freeman telling these stories to some white woman he appears to be involved with, and I’m sure he’ll explain it all to us.

While the trailer for The Feast of Love feels a little disjointed and incoherent, I’m going to give the movie a chance when it’s out on DVD. I had the same feeling of “what the hell is this” when I first saw the trailer for Love, Actually, and that movie became one of my favorite romantic comedies when I finally conceded to see it. Plus Feast has a pretty decent cast, featuring the afore mentioned Freeman, Greg Kinnear, and Selma Blair.

No Reservations is rated PG and opens July 27. (Official site)

The Feast of Love is rated R and opens in limited release September 14. (IMDB page)

I finally saw Little Miss Sunshine recently, and I am happy to report that all the rave reviews in the trailer are completely accurate. There were several points where Jared and I were literally laughing out loud. The trailer reveals just enough and doesn’t reveal any of the hilarious secrets of the movie. Little Miss Sunshine just opened nationwide, hurry up and see it.

Previously: Little Miss Sunshine trailer

When young Olive unexpectedly gets a slot in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant, her dysfunctional family piles into a vintage VW bus to cheer her on. All the buzz (that I skimmed anyway) coming out of the Sundance Film Festival in January was all about Little Miss Sunshine. By the Oscars in March, presenter Steve Carell was already being touted as a potential nominee for next year’s awards. Rave reviews are packed into this trailer. And best of all the movie looks like a funny, feel-good flick, and those are always my favorites. It times like that I’m glad I live in New York and I get to see these great films weeks ahead of middle America. See it, See it, See it.

(Official Site)