neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Casa De Los Babys
	John Sayles Daryl Hannah, Marcia Gay Harden, Mary Steenburgen, Rita Moreno, Lili Taylor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Susan Lynch, Vanessa Martinez, Pedro Armendáriz Jr. 2003		There's an interesting premise behind "Casa de los Babys," a middling ensemble drama from dedicated, issue-oriented director John Sayles ("Sunshine State"). The film deals with the nature of motherhood by observing the interplay of six childless American women who have traveled south of the border to adopt, and the effects of poverty on families in this unspecified Latin country. Sayles hired accomplished actresses as the diverse wannabe mothers: Skipper (Daryl Hannah) is beautiful, spiritual and health-conscious; Leslie (Lili Taylor) is a cynical single woman who wants to have child but doesn't want to go through pregnancy; Gayle (Mary Steenburgen) is a kindly born-again Christian/recovering alcoholic; Nan (Marcia Gay Harden) is aggressive and conniving; Jennifer (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is young, well-off and freaked-out; and Eileen (Susan Lynch) is aching to be maternal. As the bureaucratic wheels slowly turn, the women stay in a hotel run by expedient Señora Muñoz (Rita Moreno) whose brother (Pedro Armendáriz Jr.) is a lawyer handling the adoptions. "Casa de los Babys" feels sketchy and disjointed, but mediocre Sayles is more thoughtful and estimable than most Hollywood product.