Labor Pains Reviews

"Cute" is about the only thing that can be said for this sitcom-level, wispy romantic comedy. The couple meets cute, re-meets cute, has cute dates, and looks cute together; but there is little that is new. The woman-in-labor jokes are not just stale, they're humiliating -- not that it's easy to make comedy material of topics such as abandonment, abortion, and adoption. The characters frequently talk to the camera in an interview setting, which may move the story along and develop emotional depth, but also slows down any momentum that director Tracy Alexson could hope to build. Everyone's cultural icon Mary Tyler Moore doesn't quite embarrass herself in the role of the panicky grandmother-in-waiting, but it's not her career high mark either. Rob Morrow and Kyra Sedgwick's respective charisma and onscreen chemistry are the only things going for this Sex in the City-ish take on modern romance, and that's not saying much.