Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
A research scientist becomes the world's first pregnant man in order to test a drug he and a colleague have designed for expectant women. To carry out the trial, he has an embryo implant, believing that he will only carry the baby for three months – hardly expecting to face the prospect of giving birth.
Junior is a high-concept comedy built around a genuinely singular premise — a male scientist getting pregnant — but the execution is mostly safe and predictable Hollywood fare. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito have real comedic chemistry, and Emma Thompson adds warmth, elevating the acting above the script's limitations. Cinematography is functional and unremarkable, standard mid-90s studio work with nothing visually distinctive. The novelty of the premise earns it a bump, though the film squanders much of its satirical potential by playing it safe rather than leaning into the absurdity. The plot is formulaic once past the hook, and the ending wraps everything up in a tidy, toothless bow that fails to capitalize on the comedic or emotional possibilities of the premise.