Junior

A lot of actors can hold big machineguns and stand convincingly in front of special effects and explosions. Not many can stand in front of a camera and be nine months pregnant, and actually make us care.

Junior isn't brilliant. A lot of its moves are as patently synthetic as Schwarzenegger's prosthetic stomach. But it goes through its paces with directness and savvy, arranges its big, bold elements into a likable pop construct (if you tune out the music), and some of Schwarzenegger's moves into motherhood will surprise you. [23 Nov 1994, p.25]

Not as funny as you might expect but, like Reitman's political comedy Dave, it has a genuine affection for its institutional subject. [23 Nov 1994, p.8C]

Proceeds efficiently but never quite lives up to its own potential as a sight gag.

It's a shiny, glib, hollowly good-looking movie that always seems to be cooing at us-coldly. [23 Nov 1994, p.9C]

Let’s just say that, for the right audience, Junior may deliver. But there’s a whole lot of pregnancy to go through first.

The new Ivan Reitman/Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy is a one-joke affair, and it takes surprisingly little time for the potential humor in the situation to wear thin.

Quite possibly one of the the best feature films ever made, this 1994 classic has belly-busting moments that make it a killer time! I love to watch this movie with my wife every sunday night, and the laughs truly never stop! I'd love to see a sequel at some point... would be a cinematic godsend! ;]

Junior (1994) starring Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger is a cinematic marvel. Never have I seen such a fantastic plot, with the actors fitting thejr roles perfectly. This film has been my favorite film for 26 years and I have not been able to watch anything since. This movie does all the things that make you laugh and cry. There's also some great transgender representation from Arnold! Although there are some transphobic bits I still believe this is a masterpiece of cinema that will never be paralleled by even the biggest and best studios out there.

Not being a trilogy because they are unrelated to each other, this film has many points of contact with "Twins" and "Kindergarten Cop", two other comedies that Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in the turn of the 80s to the following decade, and that mark the passage from this actor from hard-and-fast action films to a series of other varied works. For me, this film is a guilty pleasure: not being a high-quality film, it is notable for the way it entertains the audience. This has helped the film to stay alive and fresh, in the collective memory and on specialty TV channels. In this film, Alex Hesse and Larry Arbogast, two medical researchers at a university in California, seek more funding to continue studying a new drug that promises to reduce pregnancy-related illnesses and the chances of miscarriage. However, when the project is cancelled, they resolve to continue secretly and proceed with the tests on humans: Dr. Hesse himself, who against all natural laws becomes the first man to become pregnant. However, when Arbogast wants to suspend the test, Hesse decides to carry her pregnancy to term, albeit risking his own health and academic career. Well, the movie is not brilliant, many described the script as stupid... and I agree. It's stupid. There are too many problems of logic, coherence and scientific credibility. For example, the blatant subversion of human anatomy: the inexistence of a uterus in man is completely ignored and the perineum, where Arbogast installs the embryo, suddenly moves from the region between the virile member and the rectum to the lower abdomen. Issues of a moral and religious nature are equally discarded by the film, even though I understand that: being a comedy, these were subjects that would make the film too dense and heavy. The film has a good cast: I liked the addition of Emma Thompson, an excellent British actress with a great talent for comedy, even though I consider her character to have been poorly conceived, turned into an imbecile and clumsy creature. I doubt the actress has a good memory of this character. Pamela Reed was also a good choice and Frank Langella is very good, although underutilized and has a clichéd and undeveloped character. Schwarzenegger is the protagonist and proved to be quite competent. He's a good actor, but he wanted to give a proof of versatility here. Personally, I think he did it. At his side, Danny DeVito steals the spotlight thanks to an inspired and witty performance. Technically, the film is quite conventional and uninteresting: cinematography is standard and does not stand out rigorously, fulfilling its role, but not standing out; the sets and good choice of filming locations deserve praise, as does the soundtrack design. On the other hand, I think the film has some editing and pacing problems, with very long scenes without this being justified. Despite being a funny movie, it's not one of those movies that really makes us burst out laughing from start to finish. There are some forced jokes, and some really well conceived ones.

A movie essentially based around one joke (What if one of the most macho guys in cinema was pregnant?) and it fails on almost every level.

Director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) brings us Junior which is a comedy made in 1994... It reunites Twins (1988) stars Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger. However Twins was mildly enjoyable even if some parts were stupid.... JUNIOR maybe funny in parts, however the logic is this film is irrational. Arnold Schwarzenegger wanting to give birth and acting like a woman and Danny DeVito's boring performance and Arnie's camp acting abilities also given the fact this film is boring and too long make Junior a stinker of a comedy!