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| Directed by Nancy Savoca; Starring Rosie Perez, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Patti LaPone, and Karen Duffy |
In the genre of female-oriented comedies, The 24 Hour Woman is one of the better I have seen, but that does not really mean that much, though it is quite a step-up from Stepmom. Grace Santos (Perez) has just gotten the news that she is pregnant when we meet her in the opening of the film. As formula would have it, she now has to cope with the fact that in a few months she will have to balance both her child and her job as a morning TV show producer with little help from her husband, the co-host of the show she produces. In one of the films few original steps, the show turns her pregnancy into a ratings booster by following it on a daily basis. About forty-five minutes into the film she has the baby and all seems well but as expected, she must raise it with little support from her husband who has recently found his calling doing small time film roles.
Riddled with predictability, the film falters in the first half and really never makes up for it. There are a few good scenes like those involving her new secretary Madeine (Jean-Baptiste in her first film since Secrets & Lies) and her husband played by Wendell Pierce but just not enough of them. The choice of Rosie Perez was good choice since she pulls off most of her scenes with finesse despite the poor dialogue given to her. All in all, it is a mediocre script hidden amongst a few good scenes.
