What to Expect When You're Expecting

What to Expect When You're Expecting has quietly become one of the more dependable comedies currently available in Australia on Netflix and Stan, and in the US on Hoopla. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. 1,863 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Jennifer Lopez leads a cast with real comic timing. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Netflix.

What to Expect When You're Expecting is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The jokes in What to Expect When You're Expecting land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. Challenges of impending parenthood turn the lives of five couples upside down. Two celebrities are unprepared for the surprise demands of pregnancy; hormones wreak havoc on a baby-crazy author, while her husband tries not to be outdone by his father, who's expecting twins with his young trophy wife; a photographer's husband isn't sure about his wife's adoption plans; a one-time hook-up results in a surprise pregnancy for rival food-truck owners. Jennifer Lopez and Chace Crawford lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2012. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and What to Expect When You're Expecting holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

If you need a comedy that actually makes you laugh, What to Expect When You're Expecting is a strong candidate. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Jennifer Lopez is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.