Could these parents have been sociopaths? Or one of them at least? Last year I read in the book "The Sociopath Next Door" (and here in Salon) how sociopaths can be non-violent, given to wierd hobbies and fascinations with utter disregard for how these affect others. I happen to think a lot of extreme parenting can be explained by the actions of a bored sociopath- no immunizations, no school, unassisted home births. But probably people with good intentions can be foolish enough to try these things. Letting your newborn starve to death? There has to be something very, very wrong. Feeding a newborn baby will bring most new parents close to hysteria if they are afraid the infant isn't eating enough. The givaway clue to whether a person is a sociopath is if they always try to evoke pity. Did these parents express remorse? I'd be very curious to know what their friends and family say about them.

I saw the movie and embarrassed myself at how loud I was laughing. The beautiful woman / slobby guy thing is dealt with honestly. That is, the makers of the movie don't pretend that it's normal. Her one -night attraction to him at the bar is explained by how kind and funny he is, and later they are pretty brutal about his looks.Usually movies pair actresses like Heigl with Harrison Ford and we're supposed to buy it.

I don't think the abortion option was glossed over, but it wasn't dwelt on. I thought we were supposed to infer from the fact that Heigl starts sobbing when she sees the ultrasound that she has decided to go ahead with the pregnancy.

This movie had even more heart than 40 Year Old Virgin did. I love this new genre of poignant vulgar movies! The scene where the sister rants and screams at the black bouncer (the warehouse manager from The Office) and then suddenly he pulls her aside and says he understands- first I cringed and then I was practically crying. I NEVER cry in movies. Anyway- go see it. And stay for the credits- they show baby pictures of the cast and crew.

I think there is a sub-text to the movie and therein lies the abortion option. The sub-text: she doesn't need him. This is a modern, educated, wealthy young woman and she's holding all the cards. Seth's character is utterly without power in this film during the pregnancy. It's the polar opposite of what an old movie about an unplanned preganancy would have been. Yet, paradoxically, fatherhood is elevated. As the pregnancy moves forward and their relationship grows and then chills, you know that he is going to father that baby, with her or separately from her. There is no walking away by the father, and there is no single mother coldly deciding the father is irrelevant.

This is the kind of movie I think fundamentalist religious freaks could see, and then just maybe they would start to get an inkling of why feminism and independent thinking and even a little sleaziness really brings some good into the world.

You have to limit screen time, as they say, but when my daughter is playing Webkins at least she's reading and writing a little. She also learns about earning money and budgeting. It's not exactly educational, but it's less passive than TV.

By that logic, we must never 'bitch' about crime- the most reasonable response is to never tempt theives with anything they might envy or covet. Brightstar, if as most Americans you expect to be able to live in a home, drive a car and walk around with cash without being robbed or threatened, then you should be able to understand why an American woman expects to be able to walk about without being harrassed or threatened. It's our cultural norm. One of our better ones.

NOW we're getting at the problem.

So far, there's only one principal female character, Rebeca de Mornay. Here's hoping some more develop. There's the surf shop salesperson and a journalist on the periphery, but no female surfers, although surfing is presented as this Godly activity. At the end of this pilot episode, Rebeca de Mornay watches from the beach, cheering on her grandson and beaming at the men. Please let there be females surfing, especially if surfing is going to be treated religiously! For some of us, leaving women on the sidelines of even a fictional divine past time really smarts.

And I may be imagining this- but did de Mornay's character remind anyone else of Trixie on Deadwood? The wise, impervious helpmeet, who quietly rebels yet never directly challenges her man's authority. Except any American woman in 2007 would tell her husband to go eff himself if he said something like: "You sent him to the competition? After I forbade it?". Come on, Milch. It's sticking in my craw.

Library Princess- All your points about the movie's treatment of women are well taken, but I am a little more of an optimist than you are. I know that the together, mature woman on movies and TV nowadays can be annoying when the underlying message is always: men are just irrisistible imps we all have to put up with! Yuck. But the other side of that is: Allison doesn't NEED Ben. In this movie, she is holding all the cards and has all the power. Infuriating to a certain type of man, but not presented as unreasonable in the movie or thought of as negative except for a few misogynists who can't believe that a man can't just walk away and write a country western song about how sorry he is. Her job might be affected, but the audience never really believes she won't be a competent, successful breadwinner. She is no vulnerable woman-in-trouble. The fact that the biggest controversy about this movie is that she doesn't avail herself of reproductive control available to her is comforting ( Although the real problem is the plot hole created by the fact that it is never discussed on screen).