SXSW Film Reviews

The Babymakers

If onanism guaranteed Oscars, this raunch-com would be a sure bet to haul home more Academy gold than Titanic. While the setup suggests director Jay Chandrasekhar straying into Judd Apatow territory – young marrieds are desperate to start a family, but hubby's potency looks to be holding up matters – the Broken Lizards founder maintains his Super Troopers and Beerfest cred with a profusion of gags built around the male act of pleasuring oneself and its resultant, er, output. Paul Schneider and Olivia Munn ground the story with an appealing, credible romance, but your enjoyment of the film will depend largely on your enthusiasm for comedy involving bodily fluids, especially during the third-act caper to rob a sperm bank, which goes sliding – quite literally for Heffernan – into Three Stooges slapstick with batches of, well, just guess. Ever wondered what Moe, Larry, and Curly would do with a beaker of spilled seed? Here's your answer.