Nine Months (1995)

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Even the scenery of San Francisco can't save this movie. Among the unimaginative episodes is a nonsensical night-time race across the city that results in several personal injuries who are loaded into the car along with an hysterical laboring Julianne Moore. At least if it had been daytime, we could have enjoyed the hills of the city and some of its architecture. The movie is formulaic. The women are whiny and manipulative. The men are immature and clueless. There's only one real adult, but she has a minor role. There's a pack of dreadful children who remain uncivilized and don't improve. There's a stereotyped foreign obstetrician. We're fed varied misinformation about pregnancy and childbirth. Newborns are played by two-month-old babies right there in the delivery room. There are three major actors in this film: their talents are wasted. And need I add that Hugh Grant plays a child psychologist who has no idea how to do his job and appears unaware of that fact. This is supposed to be humorous. There is a small plus: the closing credits include baby photos of the six main characters. Too little, too late.

I liked this film...although it took some effort to do so. Let's start with what's wrong with the film. First and foremost, I couldn't buy Hugh Grant as a child psychologist. That just didn't work for me. Additionally, at least at this phase of his life, he needed to tone up a bit. His body just looked non-sexual...in a film that is essentially about sex. And his modified page boy haircut. And I say all that as a person who generally likes Hugh Grant in films.The other thing that just doesn't seem to work here is Robin Williams' stint as a Russian obstetrician. I'm not quite sure why it doesn't work, and it does deliver a few laughs, but it just kinda lays there.Julianne Moore as the female lead does nicely, although this role seems out of her normal scope. Tom Arnold does okay as an overbearing friend. Even better is Joan Cusack as his wife, who rarely fails to make me laugh! Jeff Goldblum seems out of place here and in a role that is rather minor; he's a better actor than the rest in the cast, and deserves a better and more prominent role.So I'm sure it sounds as if I'm not recommending this film, but its saving grace is a truly funny conclusion once the water breaks...one that had me laughing out loud repeatedly...and I'm usually one who keeps his chuckles to himself. It made the movie worth watching!

I can't love this movie, I can't hate it either. It just exists, and does very little more than that. As usual Hugh Grant plays Hugh Grant, but his heart doesn't really seem in it this time. He has no chemistry whatsoever with Julianne Moore, both stars seem satisfied with merely remembering their lines. They look more like brother and sister than anything else, that can't be what they were going for. Most of the fun is supposed to come from zany secondary characters, but only Robin Williams manages to really get some laughs. His scenes are the highlights of the movie, I'll let you decide whether or not that's a good thing. Just thinking of this movie sorta tires me really, it's that bland. I don't really find it bad, it just leaves me so completely indifferent, which in a way is even worse. "Nine Months" will not change anyone's life, but it's watchable when you have absolutely nothing useful to do.

Depending on your comedic taste and if you like Hugh Grant you won't be disappointed by Nine Months.Ever afraid of commitment, Grant's character, Samuel, has it all - well certainly as much as he is comfortable with. With a successful practice as a child psychotherapist, pretty girlfriend (Julianne Moore), an age old cat and a Porsche, life couldn't get any more demanding. However, unbeknown to Samuel, his girlfriend Rebecca is starting to feel as though something is missing from life - a child.During a drive home one day, whereby Samuel is voicing his disapproval of modern parenting and the amount of troubled kids he has to deal with, Rebecca announces she is pregnant which causes him to crash the car in disbelief. In spite of the pregnancy being purely accidental, Samuel begins to feel like a rabbit caught in the headlights and inwardly cowers at the thought of how his perfect and self-serving existence may have to be compromised.What follows is his deceitful and feigned interest in his unborn child once it becomes evident that Rebecca wants to keep the baby. But as the pregnancy progresses his indifference becomes clear to Rebecca as he misses or turns up late for scans, protests when he is told by the doctor that his cat will have to be re-homed and that his beloved Porsche will have to be traded in for a family friendly alternative.Throw in his friend (played by Jeff Goldblum), his friend's sister, husband and three errant kids who are nothing but a harsh omen of what the future holds and both external chaos and inner turmoil ensue.Hugh Grant is a master at portraying the suppressed British buffoon and this movie is by no means an exception. Will he eventually accept he must grow up and take responsibility or will he call time on what he once cherished as a relaxed and chaos free partnership?