What to Expect When You're Expecting
Challenges of impending parenthood turn the lives of five couples upside down. Two celebrities are unprepared for the surprise demands of pregnancy; hormones wreak havoc on a baby-crazy author, while her husband tries not to be outdone by his father, who's expecting twins with his young trophy wife; a photographer's husband isn't sure about his wife's adoption plans; a one-time hook-up results in a surprise pregnancy for rival food-truck owners.
Working with a moderate budget of $40.0M, the film achieved a respectable showing with $79.7M in global revenue (+99% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012) exhibits strategically placed story structure, characteristic of Kirk Jones's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 50 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.4, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Five separate couples in different life stages: Jules (fitness celebrity) competing on dance show; Holly trying to conceive through adoption; Wendy running her father's food truck; Rosie working at cheese shop; and the "Dudes Group" of fathers. Each living their pre-pregnancy lives.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Multiple disruptions cascade: Jules discovers she's pregnant after one night with Evan; Holly gets the call that they're matched with a birth mother; Wendy takes the pregnancy test and it's positive; Rosie confirms her pregnancy. The status quo shatters for all couples simultaneously.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Jules announces her pregnancy publicly on the dance show with Evan, committing to the relationship and parenthood together. This active choice by the primary protagonist launches all couples into Act 2 - fully embracing their pregnancies and relationships., moving from reaction to action.
At 54 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat False defeat: At the baby store "Breast Choices," tensions explode - the couples argue publicly, revealing their fears and conflicts. Jules and Evan clash over parenting philosophies; Wendy feels abandoned by Gary; Holly's insecurity about adoption surfaces. The stakes raise - will these relationships survive?., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 81 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Multiple losses cascade: Jules miscarries on live television (literal death); Holly's birth mother Skyler decides to keep the baby (death of dream); relationships hit bottom as couples separate or face devastating disappointments. The whiff of death is literal and metaphorical across all storylines., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 87 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Synthesis moment: The Dudes Group's wisdom clicks - "You can't prepare for everything, you just have to show up." The couples realize they must embrace imperfection and support each other. New information: Holly gets another adoption call; partners realize what matters is showing up for each other., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
What to Expect When You're Expecting's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping What to Expect When You're Expecting against these established plot points, we can identify how Kirk Jones utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish What to Expect When You're Expecting within the romance genre.
Kirk Jones's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Kirk Jones films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. What to Expect When You're Expecting represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Kirk Jones filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional romance films include South Pacific, Last Night and Diana. For more Kirk Jones analyses, see My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, Nanny McPhee and Waking Ned.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Five separate couples in different life stages: Jules (fitness celebrity) competing on dance show; Holly trying to conceive through adoption; Wendy running her father's food truck; Rosie working at cheese shop; and the "Dudes Group" of fathers. Each living their pre-pregnancy lives.
Theme
Vic (Wendy's father): "You can read all the books you want, but every pregnancy is different. You can't control everything." Theme: The illusion of control versus the chaotic reality of pregnancy and parenthood.
Worldbuilding
Establish five couples and their relationships to pregnancy: Jules and Evan (dance partners with one-night stand), Holly and Alex (struggling with fertility, pursuing adoption), Wendy and Gary (food truck owners, surprise pregnancy), Rosie and Marco (young couple, accidental pregnancy), and the Dudes Group fathers offering comic relief wisdom.
Disruption
Multiple disruptions cascade: Jules discovers she's pregnant after one night with Evan; Holly gets the call that they're matched with a birth mother; Wendy takes the pregnancy test and it's positive; Rosie confirms her pregnancy. The status quo shatters for all couples simultaneously.
Resistance
Each couple debates how to handle their pregnancy: Jules considers whether to tell Evan and go public; Holly and Alex navigate adoption bureaucracy and judgment; Wendy debates keeping the baby versus her career plans; Rosie and Marco struggle with their youth and unreadiness. Dudes Group serves as collective mentor/guide figure.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Jules announces her pregnancy publicly on the dance show with Evan, committing to the relationship and parenthood together. This active choice by the primary protagonist launches all couples into Act 2 - fully embracing their pregnancies and relationships.
Mirror World
The "Dudes Group" - fathers who walk with baby strollers - becomes the thematic mirror showing that despite chaos and loss of control, fatherhood brings unexpected joy and community. They represent what awaits the protagonists if they embrace the journey.
Premise
The "fun and games" of pregnancy: Jules glows and becomes more famous while Wendy suffers miserably; Holly bonds with birth mother Skyler; Rosie experiences young love with Marco; the ensemble attends baby store, shares pregnancy moments, and explores the premise - the reality versus expectation of expecting.
Midpoint
False defeat: At the baby store "Breast Choices," tensions explode - the couples argue publicly, revealing their fears and conflicts. Jules and Evan clash over parenting philosophies; Wendy feels abandoned by Gary; Holly's insecurity about adoption surfaces. The stakes raise - will these relationships survive?
Opposition
Pressure intensifies for each couple: Jules' fame creates distance from Evan; Wendy's difficult pregnancy strains her relationship with Gary; Holly fears Skyler will change her mind; Rosie and Marco's immaturity shows; relationships fracture under the weight of impending parenthood and their individual flaws.
Collapse
Multiple losses cascade: Jules miscarries on live television (literal death); Holly's birth mother Skyler decides to keep the baby (death of dream); relationships hit bottom as couples separate or face devastating disappointments. The whiff of death is literal and metaphorical across all storylines.
Crisis
Dark night of the soul: Jules grieves her miscarriage alone; Holly processes the adoption loss; the couples are separated and broken. They each confront what they've learned - that control is impossible, that parenthood (and life) is messy, unpredictable, and requires surrender.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Synthesis moment: The Dudes Group's wisdom clicks - "You can't prepare for everything, you just have to show up." The couples realize they must embrace imperfection and support each other. New information: Holly gets another adoption call; partners realize what matters is showing up for each other.
Synthesis
Finale convergence: All couples rush to the hospital as Wendy goes into labor; Holly and Alex meet their adopted baby; Jules and Evan reconcile; Rosie gives birth with Marco; the ensemble comes together at "The Breast Choices" party celebrating their babies, showing up for each other imperfectly but genuinely.
Transformation
Final image mirrors opening: The same couples, now with babies, gathering together as a community. The Dudes Group has expanded. Where the opening showed separate, controlled lives, the closing shows messy, joyful, interconnected parenthood - chaos embraced, control surrendered, love multiplied.