Kinda Pregnant stars Amy Schumer as Lainy Newton, Jillian Bell as Kate, Brianne Howey as Megan Taylor, and Will Forte as Josh Lewis. Honestly, I had no plans to view this film. While traveling recently, I stumbled upon it as an option on the plane. I chose to switch things up from reading and decided to give it a chance. The movie was produced by Amy Schumer in collaboration with Happy Gilmore Productions. It’s safe to assume that any movie involving both Adam Sandler and Amy Schumer will likely be a zany comedy.

At first, I watched the trailers for this film but had no desire to watch it. I find that Amy Schumer movies can be hit or miss for me. One of the reasons for my lack of interest was due to the storyline. Portraying a fake pregnancy is almost as insensitive as announcing a false pregnancy on April Fool’s Day. It can be hurtful to those who have experienced loss or struggled with infertility. Despite receiving many negative reviews, Kinda Pregnant quickly rose to the top spot on Netflix, becoming the most popular content on the platform in early February. Within the first five days of its premiere, the movie attracted an impressive 25.1 million views.

Amy Schumer plays the role of Lainy, a teacher from Brooklyn whose life changes unexpectedly when her friend Kate announces she is expecting. Lainy is taken aback by the news, especially because she thought her long-term boyfriend was going to propose the night before. Unable to cope with this twist, Lainy finds herself in a downward spiral and ends up deceiving others by wearing a fake baby bump she stole from a maternity store. As she masquerades as a single, pregnant woman, her worlds begin to collide. During a prenatal yoga class, Lainy meets Megan and they quickly become friends. In a twist of events, Megan’s brother, Josh, turns out to be the man she recently had a serendipitous meeting with at a coffee shop.

The Good

Schumer’s experiences with the fake bump may be exaggerated, but the portrayal of motherhood in the movie is authentic. The range of emotions that come with pregnancy and motherhood is usually depicted as either all good or all bad in films. However, this film captures the happiness of bringing new life into the world, the connections made with other women, and the challenges of adjusting to a major life change while feeling pressure to always be happy. Some amusing scenes made me laugh out loud, which caught the flight attendants’ eyes. Schumer’s trademark physical humor was on full display, with exaggerated responses to not receiving a marriage proposal, comical dance routines, and the quirky request for her partner to wear oven mitts to shield her fake belly during intimacy.

The Bad

The obvious negative about this movie is Lainy deceiving those around her. Pretending to be pregnant for sympathy and individual attention is a brave plot. In the scene where Schumer is told her best friend is expecting, she replies, “No! Get rid of it!” Not only is this sentiment not funny, it’s disgusting. What kind of friend would say that to their bestie of 30-something years? The entire premise of the movie revolves around how badly Lainy wants to become a mother after losing hers at a young age. However, the immaturity shown by her character is enough to turn anyone off. Lainy admits to wanting all good things in life to happen to her above anyone else. While the main aspect of the plot is centered around motherhood, the portrayal of adult female friendships is shown in poor taste.

Despite the abundance of negative feedback, I found myself quite pleased with this film. However, it is important to note that individuals who are sensitive to certain topics or do not appreciate humor that is more on the risqué side may want to explore other options. Have you seen Kinda Pregnant? What did you think- yay or nay?