Reviewing a film I haven't seen

I was at the movies the other day (watching something fluffy and absurd, no doubt), and got to see a preview of the forthcoming Knocked Up.

The premise, if you haven't heard of it, is that a pretty, succesful young woman, upon getting a big promotion, goes drinking to celebrate and has a one-night stand with "some guy" who is neither conventionally attractive nor rich and succesful. She ends up pregnant. She then calls up the guy, and lightweight romantic-comedy hilarity ensues.

There is something profoundly unsettling to me about this premise.

Let's set aside the abortion issue entirely -- in the popular media these days, no one ever seems to consider terminating an unplanned pregnancy, but let's give the benefit of the doubt here: the character may legitimately want to be a mother, or she may decide that it's the best choice for her. Nothing wrong with that, although I doubt any alternative will even be raised.

What bothers me is that she decides to seek out the guy, and that she (apparently) starts a relationship with him. Come on. I'm willing to suspend disbelief only so far. Yeah, sure, rom-com premise. But how much do you want to bet it'll get couched as 'a child needs his father' or some such?

This is not just a silly idea for a romantic comedy (although it's definitely silly). This is a statement of cultural belief. That a woman who gets pregnant after casual sex* would rather try to be a co-parent with someone she doesn't even know** than be a single mother says a lot about what this culture thinks of single mothers. And do I even need to say how appalling the idea is that a baby will bring two people together into a context appropriate for a romantic comedy?

What it comes down to, for me, is that this is a profoundly reactionary premise. And even if the film ultimately subverts it (which I cynically doubt), the very existence of the premise, the fact that the studio expects it to sell movie tickets, promotes this kind of reactionary thought.

Also, it's probably gonna suck.


* it would be unsporting of me to ask if any birth control was involved, wouldn't it?
** not to be alarmist, but seriously. She knows nothing about this guy. And she's going to let him help raise her baby? I don't think so.