Movie Review by Kate Durocher, Red Carpet Report Entertainment Reporter follow her on Twitter @katedurocher11
Nasty Baby, starring Kristen Wiig, not only deserves recognition for its’ inside look at gay couples trying to start a family, but also for Sebastian Silva’s success with the drama as he wrote, directed and starred in the film, not to mention Wiig’s unusually dramatic, yet successful performance.
The movie follows three friends in redeveloping Brooklyn as they embark on the journey of unconventional parenthood together. Wiig plays a single doctor named Polly who is trying to have a baby through vitro fertilization with her best friend Freddy, who is played by Silva himself.
After Freddy finds out he’s unable to fertilize his best friend, they decide to have his partner, Mo give it a go instead. The first portion of the movie shows Polly mercilessly pushing towards the pregnancy as she her longing for motherhood continues to nag, while Mo remains hesitant about whether it’s what he wants or not.
Freddy, while sad over his inability to father a child, remains preoccupied in his latest art project. The project is as unusual as it is modern as it will feature Freddy, lying naked on a canvas, pretending to be a baby. Hence, the title Nasty Baby is born.
While all of this convincing and artistic preparation is taking place, scenes of the trio interacting with their crazy, low income neighbor keep entering the screen. Freddy finds himself outraged by the neighbor’s (Reg E. Carthy) use of a leaf blower at the crack of dawn and Polly is soon harassed by the man anytime she passes to get to her friend’s loft.
Cathey’s role is semi passing as the film progresses rather aimlessly up until what appears to be a turning point when Freddy’s art piece receives a less than satisfactory response by a gallerist (Neal Huff). Huff expresses that he was hoping for “honesty and embarrassment,” but all Freddy managed to produce was an embarrassing site as Polly and Mo roll around helplessly and with Freddy all while being taped and pretending to be babies. It’s an uncomfortable scene to say the least.
The film, as mentioned, deserves praise for numerous reasons, but it is not without its’ flaws. To start in its’ list of misses, it as though not a single tripod was used throughout the filming process as the camera is jittery and chaotic, giving viewers a bit of motion sickness as they watch the unorganized, rather vague plot unfold. Still somehow and surprisingly though, one can still find themselves captivated by the unique concept of the movie and with Wiig bringing it to life through a natural and easy to digest performance.
When taken for face value as a film that oversteps boundaries through its’ gay, ethnic characters and its’ unique approach on how families are created, Nasty Baby is a success. If one can overlook the rather confusing nature of the film, it is even enjoyable and fans of Wiig will not be disappointed.
ABOUT Nasty Baby
Nasty Baby opened October 23 in select theaters
On iTunes and nationwide VOD 10/30
Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NastyBabyMovie
Nasty Baby centers around a Brooklyn couple, Freddy (Sebastian Silva) and his boyfriend Mo (Tunde Adebimpe) who are trying to have a baby with the help of their best friend, Polly (Kristen Wiig). Freddy is an artist, and his latest work is all about babies – it’s clear he’s dying to be a father. Polly is a family practitioner who is more interested in having a baby than having a man. Mo is hesitant about the entire idea, especially when Polly isn’t having success with Freddyʼs sperm and the donor responsibility shifts to him. Set almost entirely in the multicultural vibrancy of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, the trio navigates the idea of creating life, when they are confronted by unexpected harassment from particularly aggressive neighborhood man, nicknamed The Bishop (Reg E. Cathey). The Bishop is bothersome in small, yet persistent ways, with a hint of danger. As their clashes become increasingly aggressive, someone is bound to get hurt.
