Diane Keaton shines in this wonderful comedy about a working woman who inherits a baby from a cousin she “hasn’t seen since 1954.” Keaton portrays J.C. Wiatt, a Management Consultant who never stops working. Then she finds out that her cousin, in his will, left her his baby daughter Elizabeth (played by Michelle and Christine Kennedy, who are too cute!) to care for. At first, J.C. does not want to have anything to do with having a baby. She’s too wrapped up in work. The turning point to me is when Elizabeth gets sick and J.C. has to care for her.
It is then that you can tell that she starts to bond with Elizabeth. Unfortunately, Steven (Harold Ramis), the man who she lives with, doesn’t agree with this situation and leaves. Eventually, J.C. finds herself paying more attention to Elizabeth than with work which does not make her boss (Sam Wanamaker) too happy. He decides to lower J.C.’s status in the company and promotes Ken (James Spader) to her status. J.C. decides that she should move. Also, the transformation Diane makes from full-time worker to full-time mom is great. I do believe that Diane Keaton show her maternal side in this film. She is so natural with children.
What happens next is so sweet. She moves to this Vermont home where everything you can think of goes wrong, she gets “yupped” and “noped” by everyone there, and basically goes crazy and vows she will go back to New York. But then she meets Dr. Cooper (Sam Shepard) and everything slowly changes for her. As a romance begins, so does another career move for J.C. She invents ‘Gormet Baby Food’ which the Food Chain, where she used to work, wants to buy.
The ending is wonderful. I loved it. I’m not going to give that away…If you want to know the ending, rent the movie. You won’t be disappointed!
Cast
- Diane Keaton — J.C. Wiatt
- Sam Shepard — Dr. Jeff Cooper
- Harold Ramis — Steven Buchner
- Sam Wanamaker — Fritz Curtis
- James Spader — Ken Arrenberg
- Pat Hingle — Hughes Larrabee
- Britt Leach — Verne Boone
- Linda Ellerbee — Narrator
- Kim Sebastian — Robin
- Mary Gross — Charlotte Elkman