Ambitious career gal J.C. Wiatt (Diane Keaton) might not seem like the obvious choice for a super relatable single mom in the 1987 movie Baby Boom. Especially since J.C. does not want children and is instead hyper-focused on her marketing career (because back then, it was always one or the other, apparently). Then her cousin dies, and she inherits a baby girl, sweet little Elizabeth — a little girl her boyfriend does not want, and at first, J.C. doesn’t think she wants her either.
Then, one night, Elizabeth has a fever. The two of them stay up all night, and in the quiet of the early morning, it happens. J.C. is exhausted, overwhelmed, worried, but most of all… she’s a mom. As hard as it gets for J.C. throughout the movie, when they move to the cutest farmhouse you’ve ever seen and she starts falling in love with the local veterinarian (Sam Shepard), J.C. gets real, deep joy from Elizabeth. She talks to her like her little best friend, and this felt so very real to me.
Making millions of dollars on jarred applesauce, less so. But still, we’ll take it.
Stream Baby Boom on Amazon Prime Video.
