Wouldn't Mama be proud?

I expected a lot from Tina Fey in her leading role debut: her writing in both “Mean Girls” and “30 Rock” was smart and reverent, while it never conformed to the Hollywood buck. Although this style is apparent in “Baby Mama,”  it would have made all the difference if she and not director Michael McCullers (“Undercover Brother,” “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” “Saturday Night Live” circa 1997) had written the script.

So while “Baby Mama” has some remnants of Fey’s gold, it’s obviously just an attempt for a  box office hit. The film is certainly humorous, but her fans should expect more. Sure, it’s got more depth than all of Will Ferrell’s films combined, but that’s not saying much.

“Baby Mama” is the story of successful businesswoman Kate (Fey)  who just can’t get knocked up and employs a lower-class surrogate mother, Angie (Amy Poehler).  Fey plays an anal executive who can’t relate to people, while Poehler is a caricature of an uneducated hillbilly who can’t recognize the taste of water. Angie and Kate only become likeable when they unite and are hilariously wonderful together.

When the two go out clubbing or karaoke to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,”  they become the quintessential modern-day odd couple.  Their unlikely pairing leads the two to realize they are not just stereotypes restricted to their class or backgrounds. The anti-social Kate realizes she can go  beyond the restraints of her apartment and live a little, while Angie is moved by her Baby Mama to go to college.

The film is also quite reverent to our time, most noticeably with its pop culture references. Perhaps the best examples are when Angie dubs the best boyfriend she ever had as her “Justin Timberlake,” and when she names her child Stefani, after Gwen herself.  

Unfortunately, like most commercial comedies, “Baby Mama” chooses to employ forced hip-hop humor through a token character who is mostly there to quote rap songs and make baby mama puns.

Instead of capitalizing on the unlimited talent of Fey and Poehler, "Baby Mama" simply tries to cash in on the box office buck.