Fifteen & Pregnant
Fifteen & Pregnant (also known as Fifteen & Pregnant: A Nice Girl's Story) is a Lifetime television movie that first aired in 1998 starring Kirsten Dunst, Park Overall and David Andrews. Tina Spangler (Dunst) is an immature young teenager who ends up getting pregnant by her boyfriend, Ray. In addition to this, she and the family, including her younger sister and their kid brother, are also dealing with the fallout of the marital woes of their mother, Evelyn "Evie" (Overall) and father, Calvin "Cal" (Andrews).Not to be confused with the MTV show 16 and Pregnant or the 2005 fellow Lifetime film Mom At Sixteen.
The film has the following tropes:
- Adoption Is Not an Option: Evie insists that Tina keeps her child, believing that she would not want her grandchild to be raised by "strangers".
- An Aesop: A few, to be expected.
- Use protection if you aren't ready to have children.
- Some people aren't parent material. Get to know someone before having a child with him/her.
- Don't have sex when you're still a teenager. Wait until you're older.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: This must have been what attracted Tina to Ray, who doesn't seem to have any redeeming qualities.
- Big Friendly Dog: The family Golden Retriever, Angus.
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: Tina has shades of this; she often lashes out at both her mother and Rachael (one could argue that her mood swings are due to the pregnancy, but her relationship with her sister is implied to have been contentious for some time) and even outside of having sex she partakes in drinking before learning of her pregnancy.
- Brutal Honesty:
- Cal's mother knew all about the problems with the Spangler family: Rachael was trying to do away with her problems with eating, Adam was trying to do the same with music, he himself wasn't taking anything well, Evie was at wits' end from the cheating and pregnancy and that Tina was doing better than everyone else. This angers him to the point of sending her home.
- When Tina and Evie are shopping for maternity clothes, the former complains that the stuff was ugly and that her situation was bad enough without looking like a loser, to which the latter angrily proclaims "Well, you should have thought of that before you had sex!" and storms off.
- But We Used a Condom!: Averted. Due to some Insane Troll Logic, Tina admits that due to the youth group telling her that using a condom means that she's having sex, she doesn't bother. Laurie even yells at her when she finds out, considering it an (rightfully so) irresponsible move for her.
- Calling Parents by Their Name: Laurie calls her mother Jane by her first name instead of more traditional phrases like "Mom" or "Mother".
- Cool Old Lady: Cal's mother, who loves her grandchildren dearly. Rachael eventually goes to stay with her for the summer.
- Daddy's Girl: Both Rachael and Tina are this to Cal, but particularly the latter, whose relationship with her is more fleshed out. Even when learning of the pregnancy, Tina apologizes and although he's clearly disappointed, he forgives her almost immediately.
- Death by Childbirth: Discussed by Rachael and her best friend Holly, with the latter saying how she read in a magazine at her mother's doctor's office that 20% of women die while giving birth. She later tells Tina her fears about having a baby, which causes her to call Holly a twit and for her to (rather unfairly) ask if she hopes she does.
- Deliberately Cute Child: Allison, Laurie's daughter and Jane's granddaughter.
- Disappeared Dad:
- All of the teenaged fathers that were by the pregnant girls' sides are gone by mid-movie, Ray included.
- Allison's father, Woody, left her and Laurie before her birth.
- Ray's own father is implied to be this, with him saying that he'll be a better father than his old man. Obviously, he didn't follow through.
- Laurie's father, Walter, is a more justified version; he died years before when she was still a little girl and was said to have been a great father to her and husband to Jane.
- Disappointing Older Sibling: Rachael and Adam view Tina as this due to her getting pregnant at age 15.
- Divorce Is Temporary: Played with: It's never said outright that Evie and Cal are divorced, but the fact that Cal has moved out and had a girlfriend or mistress in Liane displays that the couple is at least separated. They reconcile by the end of the film.
- Dramatic Sitdown: Evie, after learning of Tina's pregnancy, was so shaken that she had to be sat down by Jane.
- Easily Forgiven: Seen and/or implied with both parents forgiving Tina for getting pregnant, but subverted with each other; Evie struggles with forgiving Cal, but eventually does.
- Fiery Redhead: Laurie is a subdued version of this. She has the qualities, but given her usually being stressed out, it gets a bit downplayed. Evie moreso plays this straight.
- Full-Name Basis: Grandma Spangler calls her son Calvin and his wife Evelyn instead of their more well-known nicknames of Cal and Evie.
- Get Out!: Cal angrily orders Ray and his new girlfriend away from Tina's room on the maternity ward as she's giving birth.
- The Ghost:
- The mysterious Woody, Laurie's child's father, is commonly referenced, but not seen. Understandable, as he left her years ago.
- Similarly, the woman Cal has an affair with, Liane, was mentioned but never appears. It's mentioned that they not only broke up, but she moved away.
- Glorified Sperm Donor: Ray is not father material whatsoever. Even Cal lampshades this in the climax.
- The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Tina and Rachael have this down to a T. They spend the great majority of the film sniping at each other and the latter knows how much of the former's shadow she lives in, even before the pregnancy.
- Good Bad Girl: Tina. She is a Christian who sings in the church choir, but also smokes, drinks and hangs out with a bad news boyfriend.
- Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Played completely straight. Evie considers it "murder" and Tina herself calls it the most "wrong, disgusting and gross thing you can do". Tina therefore gives birth while just 15 (thus the film title) though her friend and friend's mother disagree, suggesting abortion.
- Good Parents: Through all their faults, Evie and Cal truly love their children.
- Happy Marriage Charade: Cal insists that he and Evie pretend to be together by letting him sit with her when at the children's choir practice to fool their reverend.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners:
- Tina and Laurie, to the point that she's closer to her than her actual sister, Rachel.
- Their mothers, Evie and Jane, are also this.
- Hollywood Tone-Deaf: Rachael. When singing in the church choir, she is noticeably off-key versus her sister's more dulcet tones.
- Informed Ability: Ray is at once mentioned to play football, but we never see him so much as put on a uniform.
- Informed Flaw: Earlier in the film, Evie goes on about how Adam is some kind of a troublemaker to the point of having to go with Cal, yet outside of him being a bit annoying, we aren't shown this rebelliousness.
- It's All About Me: Invoked with Tina, who got angry with Rachael for getting angry about her pregnancy embarrassing her to her church youth group, then shot right back to her by her sister, telling her how everything revolves around her. The events of the film only supports this.
- I Want My Mommy!:
- Two-year-old Allison cries this out occasionally throughout the film.
- Laurie also went through this while giving birth to her, crying out for her own mother, Jane.
- Mama Bear: Evie is protective of Tina against Ray's continued bad influence.
- Massage of Love: Once Cal and Evie reconcile, he gives her a foot massage on their front porch.
- Middle Child Syndrome: Happens to the younger daughter, Rachael. Unfortunately, it's not all in her head: her parents (particularly her mother) let her get lost in the shuffle of pregnant older sister Tina and apparently rebellious baby brother Adam.
- Morning Sickness: Tina deals with this throughout the first trimester, particularly on Christmas day, even getting sick right before dinner when she looks at the turkey.
- My Beloved Smother: How Cal and Evie view his visiting mother, though none of the things she said, like how troubled the family is, is untrue.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Although it's heavily implied that the film takes place in Oregon (a radio show Evie and Tina listens to features a caller from Beaverton and Ray's license plate is that of the state's), both Evie and Cal speak with noticeable Southern twangs, as does Cal's mother (although they could have moved there from the South, this isn't mentioned).
- No Periods, Period: Averted, as Tina gets it during soccer practice. Then it becomes subverted since it was just spotting and she's really pregnant.
- Papa Wolf: Cal to his three children, especially Tina. It's even implied that they like him over their mother.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Grandma Spangler delivers an epic one to Cal:Mrs. Spangler: The family that you created, Calvin, is a mess. One is stuffing back her problems with carbohydrates, the other one is hiding under one of those head-things, you're staggering around, Evie's about to erupt, and Tina, the one who should be in the most trouble, is doing a lot better than the rest of you, and I don't know how! Because no one has given that girl any real guidance or limits—Cal: (slams his hands down on the table) That's enough!
- Screaming Birth: Naturally, Tina gives birth while screaming her head off, even at one point telling her Dad, who she loves dearly, to shut up. He takes it in stride, given the circumstances.
- Suddenly Shouting: After Laurie gently raises the possibility of Tina ending the pregnancy, the latter loudly proclaims that she would never do that and saying how much she disdains the notion. Unfortunately, her loudness wakes up a sleeping Allison, who begins crying.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- In regards to teen pregnancy; you can get pregnant from the first time, your boyfriend may very well walk out on you/spread rumors about you/will not marry you before or after the baby is born, your parents may be so angry with you that they will throw you out of the house/disown you, any pregnancy is potentially dangerous, but teenage pregnancies are increasingly so to the point you could have the child prematurely, etc.
- Fellow teen mother Karen tells the girls at the pregnancy class basically all of the above and more will happen to them after they become mothers.
- Teen Pregnancy: The entire premise of the film.
- The Unfavorite: Rachael is implied to be this, as attention and special treatment is given to pregnant Tina and rebellious Adam by her parents. Even when the poor girl broke her leg, Tina still took front and center attention. That being said, she is seen to be close to her grandmother and spends the summer with her in Kansas.
- Verbal Tic: Kid brother Adam has a tendency to say "Alrighty, then".
- Vomit Discretion Shot: Tina has morning sickness and even goes to a toilet, but we never quite see anything.
