Watch: Elizabeth Banks and Ben Falcone discuss 'What to Expect,' 'Catching Fire'

'What to Expect When You're Expecting' stars talk children, sequels and pro tips

By Geoff Berkshire Friday, May 18, 2012 12:05 PM

Among the large cast of pregnancy comedy "What to Expect When You're Expecting," Elizabeth Banks and Ben Falcone are two of the few who actually have kids in real life.

Banks and sportswriter husband Max Handelman have a one-year-old son, while Falcone has two daughters with Oscar-nominated wife Melissa McCarthy.

Did that give them any extra insight into their roles? That was one subject we discussed in the video interview above.

The chat also touches on Banks' hotly anticipated return to the role of Effie Trinket in "Hunger Games" sequel "Catching Fire," and the rumored follow-ups to both "Wet Hot American Summer" (which Banks made early in her career) and "Bridesmaids" (which featured Falcone in the small but memorable role of Air Marshal John opposite his wife).

It's no surprise these two carry most of the comedy in "What to Expect," and although I didn't think the movie was very good, they're both good in it. Banks is a proven veteran at this point, while Falcone has a shorter resume -- this is easily his biggest film role to date -- but plenty of natural appeal on screen.

They play a couple who have been trying for years to have a child, only to finally get pregnant at the exact same time his father (Dennis Quaid) reveals he's having another baby with his much younger wife (Brooklyn Decker). It causes some serious comic conflict between the couples, especially when Banks' pregnancy proves difficult while Decker's is a breeze.

"Expecting" also stars Cameron Diaz and Matthew Morrison, Chace Crawford and Anna Kendrick, Jennifer Lopez, Rodrigo Santoro and Chris Rock.

It's "inspired" by the nonfiction pregnancy advice guide "What to Expect When You're Expecting" by Heidi Murkoff and directed by Kirk Jones ("Waking Ned Devine") from a screenplay by Shauna Cross ("Whip It") and Heather Hach ("Freaky Friday").

"What to Expect When You're Expecting" opens nationwide May 18

Geoff Berkshire
Contributor

Geoff Berkshire lives in Los Angeles and writes about film and television. His work has appeared in Variety, the L.A. Times, and Premiere, among other publications. He is the former national entertainment editor and film critic for Metromix.com.