Baby Mama
Dropping the Baby.
Tina Fey is my heroine. And not the kind that makes me want to listen to jazz. Through her career at "SNL," she's established her brand of comedy even as she's broken out to become a star in her own right. Her current project, "30 Rock," is not only enjoyable for me because it's stocked with a cast of comedically diverse talents, but it's also the actualization of Fey's skills both as a writer and a performer.

So what happened with "Baby Mama?" Well, for starters, Fey didn't write it. Michael McCullers, who worked with Mike Myers on the "Austin Powers" movies, did. Accordingly, although centered on the electric pairing of Fey and Amy Poehler, "Baby Mama" just doesn't sit right.

Fey's character Kate is a watered-down Liz Lemon -- a careerwoman who enjoys professional success but lacks personal fulfillment. She's relegated to playing the straight man with nearly all her wonderful wily quirks left back on network TV. Poehler does work it out as Angie the tough-talking surrogate from Philly, but the interplay of the duo that made Weekend Update so buoyant while they were co-anchors is all but lost.

I can't help but suspect that boring, needless scenes of Kate's family and the ladies' love interests won out over some good improv. That is, after all, the bread and butter of Ms. Upright Citizens Brigade and Dame Second City. Even the various promos Fey and Poehler did leading up to the "Baby Mama" release provided a better showcase of their hilarity.

This being said, "Baby Mama" isn't terrible. It's just misguided. There are moments when a glimmer of the old Fey-Poehler magic shines through. Steve Martin and Sigourney Weaver make the most of their screen time as well. However, I'll definitely be awaiting the DVD to see if my theory proves itself in the outtake reel.