Comedy or catastrophe? Amy Schumer’s new rom-com “Kinda Pregnant” was released on Netflix on Feb. 5, 2025, and has been the subject of mixed reviews. The film follows Lainy (Amy Schumer), a middle school teacher who begins to wear a fake baby bump after breaking up with her long-term boyfriend and getting jealous of her pregnant best friend. Lainy’s life spirals out of control as she begins to live a “double life” and meets the man of her dreams, Josh (Will Forte). The film featured a well-reputed cast and attempted to drive home an important message while entertaining the audience with over-the-top comedy and romance. But was this movie funny or was it a flop?
Lainy has dreamed of becoming a mother since childhood, as established by the opening flashback scene where she and her best friend Kate (Jillian Bell) pretend to give birth to their dolls. 30 years later, Lainy learns of Kate’s pregnancy right after she broke up with her long term (and problematic) boyfriend, which causes tension between the best friends. The two visit a maternity clothing store and, while Kate is in the bathroom, Lainy tries on a fake baby bump and ultimately decides to shoplift it, relishing in the attention she suddenly receives on the street and subway. She attends a prenatal yoga class where she befriends Megan (Brianne Howey) who is pregnant with her second child. The women’s bond forces Lainy to keep up her “pregnant” charade, particularly when she falls for Megan’s brother Josh.
While the script often falls short of comedic dialogue, the funniest parts of the movie are when Lainy incessantly tries to keep up her fraudulent pregnancy. From balloons to rotisserie chickens stuffed up her shirt, Lainy attempts to “Mrs. Doubtfire” her way into the life she always dreamed of having while pulling some chuckles from the viewers. Schumer attempted to mix slapstick and satirical comedy with rom-com elements in writing her second movie but fell short with predictable and uninspired humor.
While at first pregnancy seems all rainbows and sunshine to Lainy, through her budding friendship with Megan, the film attempts to shine a light on the silent struggles of pregnancy. However, these honest and contemplative moments are cut short by Lainy’s outrageous actions and her seeming inability to grasp the gravity of her deception. Any real commentary the movie tries to make is undermined by exaggerated gags and poorly delivered jokes, preventing it from delving deeper into the emotional or societal complexities of pregnancy. Megan and Kate provide the viewer with glimpses into the emotional and physical struggles of pregnancy, yet they are treated as inconveniences in comparison to Lainy’s struggles to maintain her elaborate pregnancy ruse.
As with all rom-coms where the protagonist keeps a big secret from her love interest and new friends, Lainy’s fake pregnancy is finally revealed when she drops the rotisserie chicken she had stuffed up her dress in front of her entire social circle at Megan’s baby shower. Inevitably, the protagonist must make amends with both friends and beau to arrive at the happily ever after each viewer is eagerly waiting for. However, Lainy makes no amends. After brief conversations with both Megan and Kate, they are back to being BFFs. While reuniting with Josh takes a little more work, Lainy makes no lifestyle or attitude changes other than taking off the fake bump. Without character development the film completely depletes itself of purpose or meaning and prevents a satisfactory full-circle ending.
Unfortunately for Schumer and director Tyler Spindel, the internet (and this author) seem to be in overwhelming agreement that “Kinda Pregnant” is kinda a flop with a score of 22% on Rotten Tomatoes and 42% on Metacritic at the time of writing. Schumer’s comedic talent landed flat with cheap jokes and gimmicks, along with a failed attempt to make a statement on society’s perception of pregnancy. The film borrowed heavily from past works in the genre but failed to leave its own mark, only standing out for being “jaw-droppingly unfunny.”
