Labor Pains

Plot

Thea Clayhill is about to lose her position as secretary to a very cranky publisher. So she lies about being pregnant to save her job, as she saw on an episode of Law & Order that it is discriminatory to fire a pregnant woman. The plan works, and she gets to keep her job.

With help from her friend Lisa—and a "baby bump" stolen from a mannequin—Thea fakes her pregnancy while figuring out her next move. In the meantime, her boss gets called out of town and his cute brother Nick takes over. In an attempt to get an author Suzie Cavandish to publish a book with the company, he takes Thea to a meeting with the author. Thea convinces the author that they are the right "home" for her book. Nick then launches a new parenting division at the publishing company, and he wants Thea to be the editor. This results in a raise and promotion for Thea, as well as the beginning of a romantic relationship between her and Nick after breaking off her fake engagement with Miles. She begins to enjoy her life to the extent that her "pregnancy" becomes real to her. In an attempt to get Thea to admit her lie to her family, her little sister Emma throws Thea a surprise baby shower. When Thea still doesn't admit the lie, Emma destroys her pregnancy pillow in a fit of rage. Quickly, Thea grabs a balloon and leaves. Later that day, the author of the book is going to have a book reading, but her boss comes back a week early, and gets into an argument with Nick (which ends with Nick jumping on him, then Thea pulling them apart). After insulting Thea, she tries to go at him. Nick holds her back by the stomach, and her balloon pops, blowing her cover. After a couple of nights, Nick still does not answer the hundreds of calls Thea left him. She gets to go on the show talking about the book Suzie wrote. After everyone leaves, Thea and Nick kiss until the lights go out.

Two years later, Thea, pregnant for real (with her and Nick's child), goes into labor. Nick and Lisa are left pushing Thea to the hospital in a desk chair.

Cast

Production

Labor Pains began as a production under Capitol Films in June 2007. Due to budget issues regarding another film, Nailed, Millennium Films Overnight Productions took over the film. The film is the directorial debut of Lara Shapiro. Filming began in Burbank, California on June 9, 2008 and concluded on July 18, 2008. On September 3, 2008, a teaser trailer was released, listing the film as "post-production".

Lindsay Lohan was cast in the lead of Thea Clayhill in March 2008 after turning down the roles in All's Faire in Love and Manson Girls. Reportedly, only one insurance agency would take her after her two 2007 DUI arrests. Rick Schwartz, producer of the film, says, "I didn't know Lindsay before this, but we looked each other in the eye three months ago, and she has done everything I could have asked." Co-producer Celine Rattray says, "She has really impressed us with her work ethic. She is rehearsing every day with energy and focus. She is lovely to her co-stars and the crew." Cheryl Hines says of Lohan: "Habitually, Lindsay achieves what to do in the first take."

On March 26, 2009, it was announced that Labor Pains would not make a theatrical release in the United States. Instead, it was released to ABC Family on July 19, 2009.

Box office

Labor Pains, titled Almost Pregnant, was released to theatres on July 9, 2009 in Russia, debuting at #4. It grossed $684,129. It was released on July 10, 2009 in Romania, grossing a total of $39,574. It was released on July 31, 2009 in Spain, grossing a total of $287,260. It was released in Mexico on January 8, 2010 bringing in $670,871. It was released on January 28, 2010 in Lebanon, grossing a total of $4,810. It was released in the United Arab Emirates on April 29, 2010, grossing a total of $65,432. Combined, the worldwide total gross is $1,755,233.

Critical reception

Labor Pains has received a 55 out of 100 on Metacritic, receiving mostly mixed reviews. The Los Angeles Times said that while Lohan's acting was amazingly appropriate, the screenwriting "offers an Olympian task for any star, involving as it does large and clunky leaps of logic over a cliché-riddled narrative landscape."