Baby Boom | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Charles Shyer |
Produced by |
Nancy Meyers Bruce A. Block |
Written by | Nancy Meyers Charles Shyer |
Starring | |
Music by | Bill Conti |
Cinematography | William A. Fraker |
Edited by | Lynzee Klingman |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date
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October 7, 1987 |
Running time
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103 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $15 million |
Box office | $26 million |
Baby Boom is a 1987 romantic comedy film directed by Charles Shyer, written by Nancy Meyers and Shyer, and produced by Meyers and Bruce A. Block for United Artists. It stars Diane Keaton as a yuppie who discovers that a long-lost cousin has died, leaving her a six-month-old baby girl as inheritance.
The film received generally favorable reviews and was a modest box-office success during its original run, eventually grossing $26,712,476. The film launched a subsequent television show, running from 1988 to 1989, and was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards.
J.C. Wiatt (Diane Keaton) is a driven Manhattan career woman (nicknamed the "Tiger Lady") typical of the 1980s whose fast-paced life leaves her with no time for romance or relaxation (or as the narrator in the beginning puts it she works "5 to 9"), though she derives pleasure from her frantic schedule and demanding job. She works as a management consultant and lives with an investment banker (Harold Ramis), whose job and life are likewise hectic. Her life is thrown into turmoil when she inherits a toddler, Elizabeth (twins Kristina and Michelle Kennedy), from a deceased cousin whom she hadn't seen in over 30 years.
Caring for the child soon occupies much of her time and her career begins to suffer, culminating in the loss of her boyfriend and job. Wiatt tries to give Elizabeth up for adoption but finds that she has grown too attached to the child, forcing a reevaluation of her priorities. She moves into a house in the country in Vermont. Purchasing the home without first having seen it in person or having it inspected she finds it is riddled with problems (failing plumbing and heating, lack of water, bad roof).
Suffering a nervous breakdown and on the brink of financial collapse, she sees an opportunity to sell baby food applesauce she had concocted for Elizabeth from fresh ingredients. Amid the clamor for her new products she develops a relationship with local veterinarian Jeff Cooper (Sam Shepard). At first annoyed by him, she is opposed to Jeff's overtures and is focused now on returning to New York as fast as possible. Finding a buyer for the house proves almost impossible.