*SPOILER ALERT* There's been lots of talk about the movie What to Expect When You're Expecting, which hits theaters today, from its strange but loose ties to the popular guidebook of the same name to its casting of slender, non-mom Cameron Diaz. However, I wasn't expecting the movie to tap into miscarriage territory. A miscarriage in a star-studded Hollywood movie, what???
SPOILERS!
It's true. The hot, sexy, hood-of-the-car frolic between characters Rosie (Anna Kendrick) and Marco (Chace Crawford) not only results in an unwanted, unplanned pregnancy, but it also ends up in a miscarriage, right after the couple decides to give it a go.
Now, I'm not going to say miscarriage doesn't get done on screen. Lots of unwanted pregnancies on TV, for instance, have ended in miscarriage (cause most networks don't want to tread into abortion territory so it's usually easier to "miscarry" off the pregnancy, usually by writing in a car accident or an unfortunate fall down a flight of stairs). However, I have to say I wasn't expecting to "go there" in this particular film — a light Hollywood rom-com following five couples on their "expectant" journeys — but I'm sure glad they did! And they portrayed the miscarriage in a quiet, respectful way (no car accidents, tragic falls, or dramatics …), which was rather refreshing.
Miscarriage is incredibly common — I suffered two miscarriages myself between my two boys. It's a reality for so many women that I'm glad it got a storyline in even the shiniest of Hollywood tales about pregnancy. Of course, the story didn't go too deeply into the emotional aspects of miscarriage, but it did get across the message of its complexity — especially for this couple who initially didn't plan a pregnancy but later accepted it and even got a little excited about their future.
Here's a clip from our exclusive interview with actress Anna Kendrick where she talks about preparing for this role and how the cast and crew of women and moms on set became a surprising inspiration for her.
Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cqQ3LjHblo
And a clip from actor Chace Crawford, where he talks about a friend who went through some hardships similar to those portrayed in the film.
Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2N3GPUhcwg
What do you think about movies portraying stories about miscarriage and loss? Will you see this movie?
