Junior (1994) Universal/Comedy RT: 109 minutes Rated PG-13 (sex-related humor, brief strong language) Director: Ivan Reitman Screenplay: Kevin Wade and Chris Conrad Music: James Newton Howard Cinematography: Adam Greenberg Release date: November 23, 1994 (US) Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Emma Thompson, Frank Langella, Pamela Reed, Aida Turturro, James Eckhouse, Megan Cavanagh, Merle Kennedy, Judy Collins, Mindy Seeger, Christopher Meloni, Antoinette Peragine, Cassandra Wilson, Kevin West, John Pinette, Anna Gunn, Tracey Walter. Box Office: $36.7M (US)/$108.4M (World)
Rating: **
The third time is not a charm for Ivan Reitman and Arnold Schwarzenegger in Junior, a one-joke comedy that reunites the big guy with his diminutive Twins co-star Danny DeVito. The idea of a pregnant man isn’t unique. It was used to greater effect in the 1978 comedy Rabbit Test starring Billy Crystal. That one is much funnier than this occasionally amusing film. Given the talent involved, Junior should have been much better than occasionally amusing.
Research geneticist Dr. Alex Hesse (Schwarzenegger) goes the extra mile to prove the fertility drug he created with OB/GYN Dr. Larry Arbogast (DeVito) works after the FDA denies their request to proceed with human experimentation. Larry convinces Alex to test Expectane on himself. He then procures an ovum from Dr. Diana Reddin (Thompson, Howards End), the geneticist who took over their lab after the university pulled their funding in light of the FDA ruling.
Lo and behold, the drug works. Alex becomes pregnant. This is when Junior begins to stagnate with a series of stale jokes about pregnancy and all the wonderful things that comes with it- e.g. wild mood swings, strange food cravings, sensitive nipples, etc. We also get predictable subplots like the developing romance between Alex and Diana and a bad guy in the form of university head of research Noah Banes (Langella, Dave). In addition, Larry’s ex-wife Angela (Reed, Kindergarten Cop) becomes pregnant (presumably by a member of Aerosmith) and wants him to be her doctor. That about covers it all, I guess.
Junior should have been great with a director as good as Reitman at the helm. Look at what he did in the past- Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), Twins (1988), Kindergarten Cop (1990) and Dave (1993). How did he fumble the ball so badly with Junior? The idea of a macho he-man like Schwarzenegger carrying a child is rife with potential. The problem is Reitman doesn’t do anything interesting with it. He seems to think a pregnant Schwarzenegger is funny enough on its own. It is funny, but it only carries the movie so far.
To the actor’s credit, he does a good job with the role. He made the right choice playing it straight. Alex starts off as this stiff, uptight scientist with “all the warmth and charm of a wall-eyed pike”. Being pregnant gets him in touch with his sensitive side. Arnold never once knowingly plays it for laughs. He lets the material do the talking. He’s one of the few things in the movie that work. DeVito, on the other hand, doesn’t do what he does best. His character isn’t a nasty little schemer. He’s willing to break the rules, but he doesn’t throw it in people’s faces. This is one of his lesser performances. Did somebody sedate him before filming commenced each day?
The chemistry Schwarzenegger shared with DeVito in Twins is still there, but it’s not as strong. They played off against each other extremely well in the older film. It came off as natural. In Junior, it feels somewhat strained. It lacks spontaneity. It doesn’t help that they’re burdened with a lackluster script.
Thompson, a British actress known primarily for her roles in artsy period dramas like Howards End (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993) and Sense and Sensibility (1995), does a complete 180 with her daffy performance as a clumsy, absent-minded scientist. Who knew Emma had a sense of humor? She’s funny, but seems out of step with everything else. It’s almost as if she’s making a completely different movie. Langella may as well have phoned it in with his autopilot performance as the movie’s villain, an arrogant type looking to take credit for other people’s work. Ho-hum.
Junior does have its moments. Ah-nuld gets off a pretty good one-liner when says “My body, my choice!” after throwing Banes across the lab. Given the actor’s well-publicized political leanings, it’s funny to hear those words come out of his mouth. It also has its weird moments like when Alex disguises himself as a woman so he can hide out at a retreat for pregnant women. The sight of Arnie in drag is really something.
Unfortunately, the amusing bits are far and few in between. Reitman is content to rest of his laurels and let the concept do all the work. His laziness extends to all of Junior with its predictable story arc and chaotic ending in which Alex and Angela go into labor at the same time. Come on, who didn’t see that coming? Junior is lame. It’s a waste of time and talent. At 109 minutes, it feels dragged out. It shouldn’t take that long to tell one joke. At some point, it stops being funny. That should not have been the case here. Reitman botches it badly. Oh well, nobody’s perfect.