A single VP of a health food chain cannot get pregnant. Her solution? A surrogate mother. What happens when the straight laced business woman opens her home to the fast and loose surrogate mother? Answer: Baby Mama.

Baby Mama has all the ingredients a producer could ask for: good actors (Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Steve Martin, Romany Malco), funny preview jokes, topical story, and a little heart. The movie has the potential to earn an A+ rating. But the main fault falls on the writing.

Baby Mama strives to hit the smart comedy mark. That specific niche requires a fairly fast paced story. Michael McCullers falters a bit in this area. It seems like he was able to come up with good ideas for the previews, but it was challenging for him to create a steady story to connect all the points. Perhaps McCullers does better with a team of writers (as his former days on SNL) rather than striking it out on his own. But he does a good job explaining technicalities without bogging down the rhythm too much.

Tina Fey does well as an actress in Baby Mama. She is capable of juggling her executive producer/writer/actress roles for 30 Rock and still strike out for other projects to deliver a good performance. Tina Fey is fun to watch on screen even if all she shows us as an actress is the smart business type. However, I am willing to let that slide considering she does so much behind the camera.

Amy Poehler give a good performance as the foil to Fey’s straight-man role in the odd couple paring. Poehler proves she has more range than her five minute SNL sketches allow. She can give us the devious antagonist in Blades of Glory, the sarcastic office drone in The Ex (aka Fast Track), and the creepy backstage mother in Mean Girls. Poehler can do it all.

It is good to see Romany Malco in the mix. He offers down to earth views on social issues to keep everyone grounded. His potential shines threw the bit parts tinsel town throws at him. I look forward to see what he can do in The Love Guru.

Steve Martin proves his comedic genius in the small role he plays. He plays Fey’s egocentric new age boss in a subtle way. He offers quite a bit with his character without stealing the screen.

The soundtrack is less than desirable. I do not normally comment on the composition music, but it sticks out like a sore thumb in Baby Mama. The composed music sounds like something from a canceled 80’s sitcom. This undercuts the story to make the movie feel campy. Jeff Richmond does a good job composing for 30 Rock. But that series is quick and Richmond’s work does not mesh well with a slower movie.

It is a joy to see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler headlining in Baby Mama. However, Baby Mama lags a little too much in between jokes wasted on the previews. Leaving the theater, I cannot help but wonder if this movie would be better if Tina Fey had the time to write the script herself. But you must admit, Baby Mama is the smart comedy heads and shoulders above a Harold and Kumar sequel.