Junior (1994) on Netflix
PG-1319941h 49mComedyRomanceSci-Fi
A research scientist agrees to carry a pregnancy to test a fertility drug. Barred from human trials, Alex Hesse carries the embryo himself while his colleague Larry Arbogast monitors him.
- Netflix3.1/5
- IMDb4.8/1078,618 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes37%
Trailer
Plot summary
Dr. Alex Hesse and Dr. Larry Arbogast, a geneticist and an obstetrician, have developed Expectane, a drug meant to keep a woman's body from rejecting an embryo. Their funding is withdrawn and the FDA refuses them permission to test it on humans. The laboratory director, Noah Banes, brings word that a donation has come in from a colleague in ovum cryogenics, Dr. Diana Reddin. A Canadian firm, Lyndon Pharmaceutical, offers to back a trial if the pair find a volunteer. Alex doubts any pregnant woman would take an unapproved drug, so Larry suggests hiding the volunteer's gender. Alex impregnates himself with an ovum named Junior and expects to carry it for a short trial period only.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Junior (1994)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Mel Gibson came close to signing on for the role, but pulled out after learning of his church's stance on the material; Woody Harrelson also responded well to the script, but the studio did not think he had enough clout to carry audience interest.
- Andrew Dice Clay's agent called about the script, suggesting it could be a good revenge fantasy for those who took umbrage with Clay's misogynistic humor, but writers Wade and Conrad shot the idea down as they didn't want schadenfreude to color the movie.
- Executive producer Beverly J. Camhe and writers Kevin Wade and Chris Conrad wrote the script together in 1990 over just under a year, the central concept of "What if men could have babies?" stemming from their experience in Jungian therapy as a possible way of reconciling yin and yang.
- After Schwarzenegger and Reitman's hits Twins and Kindergarten Cop, Variety's Leonard Klady predicted Junior would be the biggest film of the season; it was the biggest to open over the Thanksgiving weekend with $10 million in three days, but placed only fourth overall, on half the gross of The Santa Clause.
- Alex and Diana's infant daughter, Junior, was played by identical twins Brianne and Brittany McConnell, who were born on 20 August 1993, little more than a year before the film reached cinemas.
