Movie Review

'Baby Mamas': fun comedy sets the record straight about single moms

Being a single mother has been stereotyped as shameful, but this South African movie about friendship aims to show it's anything but

21 October 2018 - 00:00 By pearl boshomane tsotetsi

The term "baby mama" has a negative connotation, often accompanying the overused phrase, "baby mama drama". But a new South African film has taken the American term that has long been part of the lexicon of young South Africans and ripped it away from its demeaning roots.
Baby Mamas is a fun comedy with lots of heart and bite-sized social commentary that isn't shoved down the viewers' throats.
The film stars Salamina Mosese (Toli), Dineo Ranaka (Joy), Thembisa Mdoda (Sandy) and Kay Smith (Chantel) as friends whose personal lives are either critical but stable or are unravelling rather spectacularly. Mosese produced the film and it is directed by Stephina Zwane.
While the title could be misleading - "baby mamas" are hardly, if ever, portrayed in a positive light - it was important for Zwane and Mosese to reclaim the title often given to women who have children out of wedlock.
"There have been enough films made about the negative stereotyped baby mama - we want to change this narrative. It is not reflective of all the positive stories we know from personal experience, of all the wonderful, hard-working single moms we know and see around us," says Mosese.
"Single moms don't need to feel shame or be shamed. They are beautiful, and important; we see their magic."
Baby Mamas, says Zwane, is "a light-hearted look at the topic of 'baby mamas', in all their shapes, types and sizes [and] an authentic South African story for all to enjoy."
Mosese's character, Toli - while by no means flawless - is the calm and soothing centre of the film. She's a single mother who is successfully co-parenting with her ex and her career is (somewhat) coming together - but let's not forget about her commitment issues.
Mdoda's Sandy is the "baby mama" who would be accused of causing drama since she cannot get over the ex who recently waltzed back into her and her child's life - with a new girlfriend in tow.
WATCH | The movie trailer for Baby Mamas..

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