Junior
Pearl, 9.35pm
If you find male pregnancy - which is what this Arnold Schwarzenegger movie is about - a far-fetched and surreal notion, then obviously you have not seen the Web site that claims to feature the first human male pregnancy. Yep. An artist by the name of Lee Mengwei claims he is the first man to bear a child. According to the site's introduction, Lee's work is based on such basic human activities as 'cooking, letter-writing and now child-bearing'.
Honestly, I am not making this up. There is more. Click on the bar that says 'Why Is Mr Lee Doing This?' and you'll get a page of 'intimate conversation' revealing his thoughts on the matter. 'My family does not celebrate birthdays. We believe it to be disrespectful to all the mothers who have suffered on those days,' he is quoted as saying.
Janice Versalius, with whom Lee is having this intimate conversation, does not sound convinced: 'But surely you understand why some people find the idea of a pregnant man disturbing?' Lee answers: 'Well, I understand how it may be a shocking concept at first. Despite the dramatic results of the sexual revolution in the latter half of the century, there are still distinct and concrete social roles determined by this ... until now ... undeniable biological fact.'
He goes on to say many men feel threatened by this idea. 'Someone was telling me about this popular American film where Arnold Schwarzenegger's character became pregnant. The humour was based on the sheer absurdity of such a distinct feminine condition being imposed on someone who represented the ultimate paradigm of Western masculinity.'
Well, Schwarzenegger does look funny in drag in this 1994 comedy, as a scientist who tests a fertility drug on himself. Also great performances from Danny De Vito and Emma Thompson (both above with Schwarzenegger).