Since the cable and premium channels have started producing so many original movies, higher quality ones that the major networks would never take the risk on, the Big Three don't have as many made-for-TV movies as they used to in the past. You only have to look at the miniseries/TV-movie categories at awards shows to see that most of the TV-movies are either on PBS or cable.
Baby Comes Home, and its predecessor And Baby Makes Six, hearken back to the good old days when the major networks regularly showed original movies with mass appeal. Sometimes they tackled an issue, sometimes they featured a topnotch cast like you would rarely see on TV, sometimes they were just fluff. I would say this one is some of all three.
First off, this is a good cast. You have to love Colleen Dewhurst in this role and she was just such a gifted actress. Mildred Dunnock is also good as her mother, as is Warren Oates as her husband. The performances are all way above the average in a TV-movie from this era. The 3 actors playing their older daughter and sons are all fine, although I preferred the ones (particularly Timothy Hutton) from the original.
It covers some issues that TV people would usually steer away from, particularly in combination. Colleen Dewhurst's character, Anna Kramer, is almost 48 and has just had a baby. To her surprise, it has thrown her life into a tailspin. She clearly has some form of postpartum depression. It manifests itself as a sort of terror about getting older, as well as a paralyzing fear of leaving the house.
She is embarrassed about her body and doesn't want her husband to touch her. Nowadays, TV seems to be afraid to acknowledge that married, middle-aged people can actually still be attracted to each other and have sexual desires. But Anna brings up the valid point that women her age often feel invisible because of the youth-oriented nature of our culture (which is even worse today).
There's a lot to like here. However, it is predictable, trite at times and too warm and fuzzy. We get a nauseating scene early on where there is a closeup of each family member's face as Anna breastfeeds the baby during the weekly "music night." The facial expressions vary from disapproving to sappy.
The baby was born at the end of And Baby Makes Six. I guess since this sequel was shown on a different network, they wanted this one to be able to stand alone. Therefore, a stupid birth scene was included at the beginning. That was happily skipped in the first movie. Birth scenes never add much to films, from my perspective. The one here was a lowlight. Did they really need to make Colleen crack jokes in a breathy voice while her character is supposed to be pushing a baby out?
The family dynamics do ultimately prove satisfying to watch, as they deal with Anna's issues and the changes the new baby has created in their lives. The kids all have problems of their own and with each other, as well. The characters are likable and relatable. I wish the script was better written and didn't go so corny at times.
Baby Comes Home, and its predecessor And Baby Makes Six, hearken back to the good old days when the major networks regularly showed original movies with mass appeal. Sometimes they tackled an issue, sometimes they featured a topnotch cast like you would rarely see on TV, sometimes they were just fluff. I would say this one is some of all three.
First off, this is a good cast. You have to love Colleen Dewhurst in this role and she was just such a gifted actress. Mildred Dunnock is also good as her mother, as is Warren Oates as her husband. The performances are all way above the average in a TV-movie from this era. The 3 actors playing their older daughter and sons are all fine, although I preferred the ones (particularly Timothy Hutton) from the original.
It covers some issues that TV people would usually steer away from, particularly in combination. Colleen Dewhurst's character, Anna Kramer, is almost 48 and has just had a baby. To her surprise, it has thrown her life into a tailspin. She clearly has some form of postpartum depression. It manifests itself as a sort of terror about getting older, as well as a paralyzing fear of leaving the house.
She is embarrassed about her body and doesn't want her husband to touch her. Nowadays, TV seems to be afraid to acknowledge that married, middle-aged people can actually still be attracted to each other and have sexual desires. But Anna brings up the valid point that women her age often feel invisible because of the youth-oriented nature of our culture (which is even worse today).
There's a lot to like here. However, it is predictable, trite at times and too warm and fuzzy. We get a nauseating scene early on where there is a closeup of each family member's face as Anna breastfeeds the baby during the weekly "music night." The facial expressions vary from disapproving to sappy.
The baby was born at the end of And Baby Makes Six. I guess since this sequel was shown on a different network, they wanted this one to be able to stand alone. Therefore, a stupid birth scene was included at the beginning. That was happily skipped in the first movie. Birth scenes never add much to films, from my perspective. The one here was a lowlight. Did they really need to make Colleen crack jokes in a breathy voice while her character is supposed to be pushing a baby out?
The family dynamics do ultimately prove satisfying to watch, as they deal with Anna's issues and the changes the new baby has created in their lives. The kids all have problems of their own and with each other, as well. The characters are likable and relatable. I wish the script was better written and didn't go so corny at times.