Scrambled

by Mike McGranaghan

A character in Scrambled makes a good point shortly into the movie. She says that men can be Peter Pan forever, i.e. they can delay fatherhood for as long as they choose. Women, on the other hand, have a biological clock. If they want to have children, it needs to be done before a certain age. No eternal childhood for them. Insight of that nature helps set this fertility comedy apart from others, many of which go for cheap, raunchy laughs. Writer/director Leah McKendrick has made an intelligent, funny picture about a woman struggling to accept the ticking of her own internal clock.

McKendrick also stars as Nellie, a 34-year-old party girl reeling from a recent breakup. Following a conversation with an old friend at a wedding, she realizes her opportunity to bear children is rapidly ending. This proves a terrifying thought, as there are no current romantic prospects in her life. Nellie decides the sensible thing to do is to freeze her eggs in order to buy some time. Her father (Clancy Brown) disapproves of the choice, encouraging her to get back together with her ex instead.

Scrambled follows Nellie as she goes through procedures and injections to prepare her eggs. The character simultaneously looks for old flings she might be able to rekindle things with. This is one of the sharpest aspects of the movie. Nellie is torn. Conventional societal wisdom says women should get pregnant by the man they love. Not every woman has found her soul mate, though. Part of her wants to do it the traditional way, but another part isn’t even sure motherhood is for her right now. Particularly through the reactions of Nellie’s family and friends, McKendrick’s screenplay is very wise in observing the pressure put on women to stick to a schedule when it comes to having babies.

That point is made with an abundance of humor. Rather than taking a mocking tone toward fertility matters, Scrambled builds comedy from our heroine’s personality and how it causes her to react to different scenarios. One or two moments go a bit broad, yet for the most part you laugh with the character rather than at her. As an actress, McKendrick has a strong sense of comedic timing. She mixes that with an ability to suggest the maelstrom of conflicting emotions residing inside Nellie.

The last act of the film moves in a slightly more dramatic direction, delving into the tough realizations the character comes to as a result of her journey. Although it tugs on the heartstrings a bit too hard in spots, the finale works specifically because we have come to care so fully about Nellie. An admirable self-empowerment message emerges in the last fifteen minutes. It may spring from a tale of fertility, but it’s relatable for anybody who has ever had to make a choice that was right for them in the face of wavering support from loved ones.

Scrambled is a terrific human-centered picture with big laughs, a good heart, and a strong viewpoint.

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