All-star cast delivers laughs in comedy 'NineMonths'
Movie: “Nine Months”
Stars: Hugh Grant, Julianne
Moore, Tom Arnold, Joan
Cusack, Robin Williams, Jeff
Goldblum
Director: Chris Columbus
Rating: PG-13
Grade: B+
Five Words: parenthood film
blends comedy, drama
By Gerry Beitz
Features Editor
Exactly how much of Hugh Grant’s
befuddled charm will America be able
to withstand?
With the sharp work done with
“Nine Months,” Grant may be around
for quite a while.
Granted, the whole pending preg
nancy theme has been done in movies
like “She’s Havinga Baby” and “Look
Who’s Talking,” but “Nine Months”
helps move that theme into a different
age group, and takes a more somber
look at it than one might think.
Chris Columbus, who has enter
tained audiences around the world with
films including “Mrs. Doubtfire” and
the “Home Alone” movies, brings this
very touching story to the screen,
adapting it from the French comedy
“NeufMois.”
Touching, yes. An absolute riot?
Definitely.
Every nightmare for first-time par
ents is brought out through the course
of the film, plus a few others that could
make Freddy Krueger break out in a
cold sweat.
Samuel (Grant) and girlfriend
Rebecca (Julianne Moore,“Benny and
Joon”) are hitting the first bump in
their picture-perfect five-year relation
ship: Rebecca wants to get married
and have a family but Samuel is resis
tant to change.
The announcement of her preg
nancy doesn’t help things go any more
smoothly.
Things only spin more crazily from
there; their normal doctor is unavail
able, so they meet a Russian doctor
(Robin Williams, in top form) who
has only had experience with non
human patients. His mixed-up vocabu
lary provides some of the most hilari
ous scenes in the film.
In addition, they meet up with two
parents, Marty and Gail (Tom Arnold
and Joan Cusack), who although filled
to the brim with good intentions, are
cosmically stupid and have three
daughters who make the Horsemen of
the Apocalypse look like Cub Scouts.
The biggest problem is Samuel’s
resistance to change. He doesn’t want
to give up his Porsche for a family car
or give up his cat for fear that it might
cause problems for the baby, but most
of all, he doesn’t want to lose control
of his life he already holds.
What really makes the role of
Samuel interesting is his job as a child
psychoanalyst. This portion of his life
isn’t greatly explored, but provides
him — and the audience — with an
interesting viewpoint of a situation.
Unfortunately, the one main thing
that hurts this movie is how it show
cases two or three stars when there are
more to be featured.
Grant and Arnold are given the
main spotlight here, with some defi
nite space given for Williams. How
ever, this forces Cusack, Moore and
Jeff Goldblum off to the side.
Didn’t Tom Arnold play this same
obnoxious, grating character in “True
Lies?” Yes, the thick-skull syndrome
is a common link between the roles.
Although hischaracterprovidesanum
ber of laughs within the film, he still
deserves to be tied to an anthill and
covered with honey.
Although he only has a couple of'
appearances in the film, Robin Will
iams is a definite treat. His work in the
delivery room at the end of the movie
gets quite a few yuks from the audi
ence.
Grant is, of course, wonderful. His
natural bewildered look works for this
role perfectly, but how many more
roles can he find that call for total
confusion on his part for an hour and
a half?
Chris Columbus walks away with
the prize for “Nine Months.” He ap
proached the subject divorced parents
in “Mrs. Doubtfire” with both humor
and emotion to make a wonderful film
and does the same with this film.
Unlike Grant’s Hollywood Boule
vard antics, “Nine Months” doesn’t
blow.
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Julianne Moore and Hugh Grant star in the comedy, “Nine Months.”
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