Junior (1994) Reviews

• Funnier than you might think, worth the rental!

  Phoenix-361999-01-10

  Arnold Schwarzenegger as a scientist who makes himself pregnant? The premise is pretty funny, even if the idea of Ah-nold in a comedy makes one suspicious. I thought "Twins" was awful, and "Conan" a comedy by accident. "Kindergarten Cop" was better because Schwarzenegger was mostly a straight man. Here he is called on to act the part of a pregnant man opposite Danny DeVito and Emma Thompson. While it is not an Oscar calibre performance, he gets the job done. The story is reasonably simple. DeVito (a fertility specialist) and Schwarzenegger (a scientist) are partners working on a new miracle fertility drug. Their project gets canceled by the University and replaced by an ovarian study under the direction of Emma Thompson. They decide to implant an embryo in Schwarzenegger and continue the study illegally. They steal an egg from Thompson's ovarian study and the stage is set. Of course, the egg is Thompson's and she and Schwarzenegger are attracted to each other. Ivan Reitman does a very good job with the story, keeping it simple and staying focused on the characters. Had he spent a lot of time focusing on the physical comedy, the film would have failed. Instead we get to watch the ultimate "macho" figure take on the ultimate "female" experience. The contrast keeps the comedy rolling, while the characters carry the film. It is hardly a profound film, although it is intelligently written. The issues raised rely on simple male vs. female differences and the contrast of Schwarzenegger's image with this role is used to full effect. It's an enjoyable film with strong performances by Thompson and DeVito.

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• A surprisingly clever and heart-warming family comedy.

  Anonymous_Maxine2008-12-09

  Hey here's something interesting. If you type "Junior" in to Google, the first hit is this movie, but if you type it in to the IMDb, the first hit is George W. Bush. I just thought that was funny. So by 1994, Schwarzenegger had just done a series of pretty hardcore action movies – Terminator 2, Last Action Hero (shut up, that movie rocked), and True Lies – so I'm really curious to know who came up with the idea of making a movie in which he gets pregnant and carries a baby to term. Yeah, Last Action Hero and especially Kindergarten Cop showed the world that Arnold was a big action movie star that was not above having a little fun with himself, but a pregnancy?? Amazingly enough, however, the movie is much better than you might think. He stars as Dr. Alex Hesse, a scientist working on a new formula that will help create successful pregnancies for women having trouble conceiving. But the problem is that they are unable to get authorization to perform necessary tests so, desperate to prove that their formula works, Hesse and his partner Dr. Larry Arbogast decide to create a pregnancy in Hesse – the world's first pregnant man! They do not, however have any intention of allowing the pregnancy to go on for more than a month or a month and a half, they just need to prove that their formula works. I am reminded of that scene in Terminator 2 when they are all at Miles Dyson's house and Sarah is telling Dyson that men like him through of the hydrogen bomb and they only know how to create destruction, they have no idea what it's like to feel a life growing inside you. In Junior, Hesse learns what it's like to have a life growing inside him, and tat life becomes more important to him than the science experiment that he and Arbogast were carrying out. There is a cleverly designed side story about Arbogast's ex-wife carrying a baby that resulted in a one-night stand after an Aerosmith concert, but the majority of the comedy in the movie is derived from Schwarzenegger literally not only turning into a woman, but poking fun at his real life self. When he goes to a pregnancy retreat dressed as a woman, he explains his manly performance by stating that back in "her" native Germany, she was a body-builder and excessive steroid use was considered perfectly common and acceptable. He experiences all of the ups and downs of being pregnant, but no matter how outlandish the premise is, there is no denying that the movie is definitely pretty charming. It was great to see Schwarzeneggger and Danny DeVito together again after their classic work together in Twins several years earlier. Once again, they have come together and brought us a great piece of family entertainment.

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• Silly but fun

  preppy-32002-01-04

  Arnold Schwarzenegger gets pregnant. That's about it. The premise is ridiculous, the twists and turns in the plot are mind-bogglingly stupid and every joke is predictable and hammered at you--but I still like this film! The script does have it's moments, but the performances really carry this one. Arnie is suprisingly very funny when he becomes pregnant (when asks DeVito in all seriousness "Does my body disgust you?" I broke up); DeVito is just along for the ride but is good--he's the straight man to Arnie; Emma Thompson is just gorgeous, very funny and full of life as a clumsy scientist. Also Judy Collins (yes, the singer) pops up looking radiant as the head of a center for pregnant women. Everything looks wonderful and the film is slickly made to cater the the audience. I usually hate films like that, but this worked. The only bad part is Pamela Reed--she's a wonderful actress and comediene but she's shamefully underused--she doesn't get any good funny scenes till the end. Also, where else will you see Arnie in a dress? It's a one joke film. Is it a good film? No. Do I like it? Very much. Call it a guilty favorite. One complaint--at 2 hours it's too long. Couldn't it have been trimmed a little?

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• Gotta love Shwartzie da Mom!

  raduluc2001-05-11

  Wonderfully light comedy based on a fantastic fiction about a researcher who gets himself pregnant for the sake of Science and Glory, but goes through the nine months for the sake of Motherhood and Baby. There are plenty of plot boo-boos, but the movie is tongue-in-the-cheek throughout, so maybe the boo-boos are meant that way... Anyway, if you don't mind the occasional sexist cliche, and if you want to see Mister (Hollywood) Universe in the charming role of a peaceable pregnant researcher, this movie packs two hours of hearty laughter. In the whole movie, Arnold sends flying only one man, once - the only bad guy in the movie.

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• Love or Hate

  nowego2018-06-21

  For me this is one of those movies you will either love or hate, there is no in between. Having said that I loved it, but do not rate it up there with good movies, because even though I loved it, it is not really that good. I do think however that it is better than the current 4.4 rating. Arnie and Danny Devito are quite funny together, but some of Arnie's acting can be hit and miss. I am by the way a big fan of Arnies, just being honest. The casting is probably the best thing about Junior. It's hard to imagine any other macho actor of Arnies ilk pulling this off. As in Twins and Kindergarten Cop, Arnie plays against his macho image, getting both laughs and smiles by showing us his non macho side. Add Danny Devito and Emma Thompson, actors I hold in high regard and you have to at least give this a go. It gave me a few laughs and a smile, but I have no wish to watch it twice.

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