JUNIOR. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pregnancy

In the late 1980s, after Arnold Schwarzenegger had already won audiences’ hearts as an action movie star, he decided to try his hand at comedy. Initially, no one wanted to cast him in any role other than the stereotypical tough guy wielding a big gun and mowing down waves of enemies. But eventually, someone believed that the Austrian Oak could do more than just throw punches—he could also make people laugh. That someone was Ivan Reitman, the director behind hits like Meatballs, Stripes, and most notably, Ghostbusters. The result was Twins, where Schwarzenegger starred alongside Danny DeVito. The film became a box-office success, leading Reitman and the action star to collaborate twice more—first on Kindergarten Cop and then on Junior, which we’ll be discussing today.

Each of these three films is based on an absurd premise, placing the star—known for playing rock-hard, bulletproof warriors—in an unusual situation. In Twins, a genetic experiment resulted in him being the twin brother of Danny DeVito. In Kindergarten Cop, he had to handle a classroom full of screaming six-year-olds. But the writers showed their greatest creativity in Junior, where they made the Austrian Oak carry a baby. Setting aside the sheer impossibility of the premise for a moment, one has to admit that it holds considerable comedic potential—putting a multiple-time bodybuilding champion and one of the biggest badasses in cinema in a role as far removed from his usual image as possible. He doesn’t just discover his feminine side; he fully embraces it. And 90% of the film’s jokes are built on this single concept. There’s not much else to it. We see Schwarzenegger in all the stereotypical scenarios we associate with pregnancy: in birthing classes, getting emotional over cheesy romance movies, craving strange foods, dealing with aches and mood swings. Essentially, the writers keep delivering the same gag over and over, like telling a dozen different jokes but with the exact same punchline.

Schwarzenegger has comedic talent, as demonstrated in his previous two collaborations with Reitman, but it isn’t fully utilized here. He seems stiff and pensive, almost expressionless and wooden. Sometimes, this works—when he delivers lines like “Does my body disgust you?” with a deadpan face. He performs well in the final act, too. But many of these humorous moments only work because they’re being delivered by a hulking man with an Austrian accent, rather than a petite pregnant woman. Somehow, though, Junior still manages to be several notches above the lowest-tier Polish comedy sketches, where the height of humor is a man simply putting on a dress. Schwarzenegger is joined by Danny DeVito, Emma Thompson, and Frank Langella, who plays the antagonist.

Overall, Junior doesn’t have many genuinely funny moments. There are some decent ideas here and there, but for the most part, it’s more of a warmhearted dramedy with a few humorous sequences, blended with romantic comedy elements—since the script also includes a budding romance between Schwarzenegger’s character and Emma Thompson’s. And while the premise is entirely absurd, at its core, Junior is about growing into the roles of both fatherhood and motherhood—the most challenging yet beautiful responsibility a person can have. What begins as a scientific experiment to prove the effectiveness of a pregnancy-sustaining drug turns into the central purpose of Schwarzenegger’s character’s life. He evolves from a work-focused, socially awkward scientist into a man full of empathy and sensitivity. Over the course of the film, he comes to understand responsibility and the miracle of childbirth.

That being said, Reitman’s previous two films with Schwarzenegger are simply more enjoyable to watch—they provide more fun and are much funnier. Junior, on the other hand, places greater emphasis on emotional depth, something dictated by its premise. However, die-hard Schwarzenegger fans (myself included) should still check out how their idol handles this unusual role—one that even far more accomplished actors might struggle with. (Mel Gibson was reportedly considered for the part but turned it down due to religious reasons.) Unlike other Schwarzenegger films, though, which can be watched repeatedly, Junior is a one-and-done experience. There’s nothing here that really invites a rewatch.

Written by Piotr Zymelka