Author: Ashley E.
When I first saw the trailer to WTBB a few months ago I didn’t have high expectations for the film. It looked like a movie with a storyline that you’ve seen before a million times, and it didn’t help that the average critic rating was a 4 out of 10! I think most people including myself were more drawn to the cast instead of the film; I mean it’s hard to turn down an opportunity to see the gorgeous Regina Hall and sexy Morris Chestnut on the big screen together. My mom kept going on and on about wanting to see the movie “with that black guy” (how specific) so we went to check it out a few days ago.
The film centered around the lives of John and Laura Taylor played by Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall. They seemed to have the picture perfect life; a nice home, successful jobs, and they were deeply in love. The only thing missing in their lives were kids. The couple tried several times over the course of their marriage to have children but Laura unfortunately suffered a few miscarriages. With Laura only having one viable embryo remaining, they decided to hire a surrogate as another option to have their child. That’s where Ana Walsh played by Jaz Sinclair comes into the story. A 21 year old student that desired to give a couple the gift of life. She was beautiful, innocent, vulnerable and sweet, and Laura felt she was the perfect person to be their surrogate.
Things went from 0 to 100 real quick once Anna was pregnant with the Taylor’s child. Shortly after learning she was pregnant Anna and her boyfriend Mike were involved in a domestic violence situation in which he physically assaulted her leaving her homeless and helpless. After Mike gets arrested John files a restraining order and warns him to stay away from Anna. The Taylors insist that Anna come live with them until she has the baby and is able to get back on her feet. (Now how realistic is this type of situation? Regardless if a woman is carrying your child what are the odds of a person willingly inviting a stranger to live in their home?) What John and Laura don’t realize is that Anna and her boyfriend were scheming them from the beginning; their plan was to get as much money out of the couple as they could then keep the baby for themselves.
While living with the couple Anna becomes infatuated with John and she doesn’t hesitate in letting him know. Anna quickly goes from sweet and innocent to full out psycho. During the film Laura goes out of town leaving Anna alone in her home with John. (Really Laura??!) Anna really takes advantage of the situation and uses it as an opportunity to pursue John; she goes as far as to show up to his job unannounced in front of his co-workers, and sends him graphic videos which ultimately puts his career in jeopardy. She really played with the fact that she was carrying the baby and had the right to change her mind about giving up the child at any time. John feels helpless so he tries to appease her without crossing the line in an effort to get her to cooperate until the baby arrives. All the while Laura is totally in the dark not knowing that anything is wrong. When Laura gets back in town all hell breaks loose. Anna can’t control her feelings for John so she attempts to cause tension in the Taylor’s marriage. When that doesn’t work she takes off leaving Laura and John frantic and clueless on how to find her with only a few days left before the baby’s due date.
During all the chaos a friend of Johns’ uncovers that Anna is a dangerous felon who was able to bypass the background check of the surrogate agency because she was listed under an alias.
The movie ends in a goose chase with the couple putting their life on the line to get their child back. When The Bough Breaks was a recycled blend of the films Fatal Attraction, Obsessed and Single White Female without a more innovative plot. It wasn’t a terrible movie but it wasn’t great either. There were so many predictable, unoriginal and unrealistic moments, and the acting was just sub-par. It was nice to see Regina Hall in a more serious role since she is notorious for comedies. I wasn’t familiar with Jaz Sinclair but I would definitely consider her the wild card of the film. Her acting depth was impressive. I would recommend saving your money instead of going to see the film in theaters. The 3 minute trailer actually breaks down the movie in its entirety.