In celebrating the release of Kris Swanberg’s ‘Unexpected’ this week, we’ve rounded up and ranked the popular canon of pregnancy flicks.

by Jillian Deutsch 

Kris Swanberg’s 2015 Sundance hit Unexpected is a different kind of pregnancy film. Though there are a number of movies about pregnancy already out there, many are only from the male perspective or make countless jokes about how pregnancy makes women crazy. This isn’t a surprise when 83 percent of Hollywood films didn’t have a single female writer in 2013.

I went through some of the biggest pregnancy films to come out in the past 20 years and ranked ’em. I judged them based on overall film quality, but more importantly, whether they were told from the female perspective and faced some hard truths about pregnancy. Meanwhile, for those soon-to-be mothers, our Newmarket location provides exceptional 3D ultrasound services, and you can learn more about it at https://adatewithbaby.com/3d-ultrasound-newmarket-on/.

Some that made the list are great stories that confront difficult topics like teen pregnancy and abortion. Others are merely stories about how the man is bummed about having a kid (we’re looking at you, 1995 Hugh Grant). Here are 10 of those movies, from worst to best.

10. Due Date, 2010

I didn’t think it was possible to make a movie about pregnancy that had barely any pregnancy plot until I saw Due Date. This comedy is about a man, Robert Downey Jr., trying to get to Los Angeles to see his wife give birth to their child, while a stranger played by Zach Galifianakis royally screws up the plan. But honestly, the entire movie is just a reason to have Downey Jr. and Galifianakis in a cross-country car ride together. Downey Jr. could easily be trying to get to L.A. for some college friend’s wedding or a distant relative’s funeral. (It also has me thinking, if Downey Jr. cared so much about his child, why didn’t he get to L.A. earlier to actually help with the pregnancy? Just a thought.) I guess one should only expect so much of a movie that was directed by the same guy as The Hangover.

9. Knocked Up, 2007

It’s not surprising Knocked Up made the list, but the reasoning might not be what you’d think. This Judd Apatow film about a one-night-stand that results in a pregnancy is similar to many of his other films, but you’d think with Apatow’s nothing’s-off-limits humor, the film would’ve been willing to feature a more frank discussion about abortion. Instead, the film completely sidestepped the option, not even calling it by name, but rather the “a-word” and “shmashmortion.” I would tell the filmmakers to grow up, but I guess that’s a pretty unrealistic expectation when the film’s made for 15-year-old boys.

(Photo from The Cinema Monster)

8. Nine Months, 1995

Another man’s life ruined by an accidental pregnancy. Very original. In this one, Hugh Grant plays Samuel, a man happily in love with the same woman (Julianne Moore) for five years when she suddenly gets pregnant. It’s all blamed on faulty birth control; Samuel doesn’t want the marriage or the kid (because he’d have to give up his car, he says), blah blah blah. Even Julianne Moore’s loveliness doesn’t bring the film to life. Just another self-absorbed man who finds a pregnancy inconvenient.

(Photo from YouTube)

7. Father of the Bride Part II, 1995

I understand the entire Father of the Bride franchise surrounds Steve Martin’s character, George Banks, but this one drove me a little crazy. In the second installment, George has to face the fact that his daughter is going to be a mother, and, of course, this causes a major midlife crisis involving hair dye and a rejuvenated sex drive that leads to his wife’s pregnancy. Despite the two pregnancies, the film is all about George and how he’s handling everything. I’d rather focus on the pregnant ladies — sorry, dad.

(Photo from WhySoBlue.com)

6. What to Expect When You’re Expecting, 2012

This 2012 film adaptation of the bestselling book features quite the celebrity roundup, including Cameron Diaz, J-Lo, Anna Kendrick, Elizabeth Banks and Brooklyn Decker (not to mention an early Rebel Wilson cameo). Each woman has her own pregnancy story — some planned, some accidental — with plenty of pregnant lady rants in between. But while the film shows us five very different and real experiences of pregnancy, it falls into the same trap as many other pregnancy movies: it’s just another rom-com without complexity or depth, often at the expense of the fathers-to-be.

(Photo from Babble)

5. Riding in Cars with Boys, 2001

Riding in Cars with Boys is the 2001 film based on the memoir of Beverly Donofrio, who, in the early 1960s, became pregnant, married the father of her child and tried to become a writer, despite the societal odds against her. In the film adaptation, Drew Barrymore plays Bev from ages 16 to 35, including all the growing up that she has to do while raising a child. Though overdramatized to draw out an emotional response, the film challenges the happily-ever-after narrative of many earlier teen mom Hollywood films.

(Photo from BtchFlcks.com)

4. Juno, 2007

Oh, Juno, how we love thee. The 2007 film by Diablo Cody had people raving and ranting — and for good reason. Ellen Page plays Juno, a teen who gets pregnant by Michael Cera’s character, Paulie Bleeker. For the few humans left who haven’t seen it, [SPOILER ALERT,] Juno decides to give the child up for adoption. Though it’s definitely a bit of a downer at times, it’s also a really hilarious but honest story about getting pregnant in high school. Cody managed to create a story that had us laughing and quoting, but also had us thinking, and ultimately talking about teenage pregnancy. That’s a major win in my book.

(Photo from Roger Ebert)

3. Waitress, 2007

Waitress is definitely not the kind of film a man cooked up. I mean, the film follows Jenna, a not-so-happy waitress who finds out she’s pregnant with her horrible husband’s child and then proceeds to fall for her doctor. For therapy, Jenna creates honestly titled and creatively delicious pies like her “I Hate My Husband Pie.” Late director Adrienne Shelley creates a film that goes against the rom-com formula and replaces it with a film that’s sweet with substance.

(Photo from BuzzQuotes.com)

2. Baby Mama, 2008

Baby Mama is Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s first feature film together, but we love it for more than just seeing our favorite female duo on screen. Baby Mama was one of the first major films to talk about the taboo topic of surrogate pregnancy, with Fey playing a corporate executive who wants a child as a single woman. Poehler, a lower-class, lesser-educated woman, becomes Fey’s surrogate. Though it still follows a rom-com pattern, Baby Mama also depicts surrogacy and female friendship — both things that few other pregnancy movies do.

(Photo from PopSugar.com)

1. Obvious Child, 2014

Obvious Child was a big shocker when it came out last year. It’s one of a very short list of films that even talks about abortion, let alone centers a whole movie around it. In the film, Jenny Slate plays Donna, who after being dumped by her boyfriend, has a one-night-stand with a guy from a bar and gets pregnant. Though the film has been dubbed the first “abortion comedy,” Gillian Robespierre’s screenplay and direction bring us an honest and unapologetic look at a choice 40 percent of women make when they have an unplanned pregnancy.

(Photo from Dallas News)

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Jillian Deutsch is one of the editorial assistants at The Riveter. She’s currently studying journalism and women’s and gender studies at the University of Missouri. When she’s not reading feminist blogs, longform journalism or nonfiction novels, she’s probably looking at photos of cats or dreaming of French baguettes. You can catch her on Twitter or @JillianDeutsch on Instagram.