She's Having a Baby (1988)

Jake and Kristy Briggs are newlyweds. Being young, they are perhaps a bit unprepared for the full reality of marriage and all that it (and their parents) expect from them. Do they want ... See full summary »

Director:

John Hughes

Writer:

John Hughes

Stars:

Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth McGovern, Alec Baldwin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Bacon	...	Jake Briggs
Elizabeth McGovern	...	Kristy Briggs
Alec Baldwin	...	Davis McDonald
James Ray	...	Jim Briggs
Holland Taylor	...	Sarah Briggs
William Windom	...	Russ Bainbridge
Cathryn Damon	...	Gayle Bainbridge
Reba McKinney	...	Grandmother
Bill Erwin	...	Grandfather
Paul Gleason	...	Howard
Dennis Dugan	...	Bill
Anthony Mockus Sr.	...	Minister
John Ashton	...	Ken
Larry Hankin	...	Hank
Edie McClurg	...	Lynn

Storyline

Jake and Kristy Briggs are newlyweds. Being young, they are perhaps a bit unprepared for the full reality of marriage and all that it (and their parents) expect from them. Do they want babies? Their parents certainly want them to. Is married life all that there is? Things certainly aren't helped by Jake's friend Davis, who always seems to turn up just in time to put a spanner in the works.

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Plot Keywords:

baby | marriage | suburbia | husband wife relationship | doubt | 

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Taglines:

A comedy about the labours of love

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Papá a la fuerza

Filming Locations:

56 Salem Lane, Skokie, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$16,031,707 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hughes Entertainment, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was filmed at the same time as Planes, Trains & Automobiles, which was written and directed by John Hughes and The Great Outdoors which was written by him. Some of the same cast members from both films appear in this film.

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Goofs

When Kristy tells Jake she stopped taking the pill, he is shown on a rocket sled which crashes into a concrete wall. When it explodes the size of the flame doesn't match the size of the wreckage - it's clearly a model.

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Quotes

Fantasy Girl: If you're still in love with her, how come you're here with me?

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Crazy Credits

Various stars suggesting baby names - Kirstie Alley, Harry Anderson, Jay and Michael Astin, Dan Aykroyd, Matthew Broderick, John Candy, Dyan Cannon, Belinda Carlisle, Ted Danson, Judi Evans, Woody Harrelson, Robert Hays, "Magic" Johnson, Michael Keaton, Joanna Kerns, Penny Marshall, Bill Murray, Roy Orbison, Cindy Pickett, Annie Potts, John Ratzenberger, Ally Sheedy, Lyman Ward, Wil Wheaton, Warren Zevon.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Simpsons: Beyond Blunderdome (1999)

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Soundtracks

"IT'S ALL IN THE GAME"
Written by Carl Sigman and Charles G. Dawes
Performed by Mike Thorne
Produced by Mike Thorne
Carmel performs courtesy of London Records Limited

User Reviews

An absolute gem of a film.

I would go on record to say that John Hughes' "She's Having A Baby" is by far the best film he's ever done -- and this from the man responsible for those giddy teen comedies from the '80's (i.e. BREAKFAST CLUB, SIXTEEN CANDLES, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF).

It's ironic that his best work would be about grownups, or in this case, growing up. Jake and Kristi (played superbly by Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern), are indeed, your average married couple going through the same problems most married people do, and most kids their age would be sidestepping. But Hughes adds more dimension and more insight, and in spite of the laughs (which there are, by the way) and even some silly sequences,he still wrings out an air of truth.

Sadly, this film flopped at the B.O. in it's initial release back in 1988, but then why carp about performance. "SHAB" is a quiet gem of a film to be appreciated by the few that appreciate good filmmaking.

Grade: A-