“When the Bough Breaks” is a suspenseful, tension-filled picture. The plot focuses on a couple, John and Laura Taylor (Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall), who are childless and want to become parents. Laura has suffered through three miscarriages, so she and John find a willing surrogate, a young woman named Anna (Jaz Sinclair). Anna seems perfect: so giving, kind, and gentle. However, not all is as it seems. John and Laura invite Anna and her fiancé, a man named Michael (Theo Rossi) over for dinner. The Taylors are concerned, because Michael seems to have a chip on his shoulder — if they only knew how big the chip really is. However, they discover that Anna is actually more concerning than Michael.
Anna falls for John, telling him she has a part of him inside of her, and she makes a move on him when Laura is away on business. She begins sending him naughty videos and dressing scantily when he is around. He truly is in love with his wife, but when Anna’s mind snaps (and she is several months along in the pregnancy), Laura is afraid she will purposely try to lose the baby. She comes up with a suggestion for John that is not only immoral, but a bit shocking. Laura’s only goal is to safely secure the birth of their child. The plot heats up and cruises to a bit of an intense, if not entirely surprising, ending.
Laura’s desire to be a mother is commendable, but the lengths she is willing to go to make that happen are extreme. Due to strong content in the sex, language, violence and nudity categories, we are unable to award the movie our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal.