Monday is Labor Day which is often looked at as the unofficial end to summer. This is the last holiday many people get off for a three-day weekend, particularly one when the weather is still good for a family trip someplace. Around here, it marks the last day students have off before returning to school. I thought we’d go back to the focus of Labor Day though and look at some cinema options that showcase the miracle of childbirth and starting the journey of parenthood. Here are some movies to consider:

MOVIE: “Father of the Bride, Part II” (1995, PG, 107 min, watch it: DVD, Disney+)

In the first installment of this Steve Martin led comedy duology, his character, George Banks, has his life turned upside down when his daughter comes back from a trip saying she’s engaged to be married. After getting life figured out again, this next chapter throws the chaos back in his life when both his daughter and his wife reveal they are pregnant. George and his wife Nina have to come to terms with becoming grandparents as well as becoming parents for the third time at a more advanced age. What I like most about this second installment is that they keep a lot of the comedic beats that worked in the first one, but make George a far more accepting man far more quickly, giving up on the drama of his panicked ire and replacing it with the drama that comes along with childbirth. This is an even more heartwarming story than the first one and a very well-crafted movie. I couldn’t have designed a better choice for this article, either, as Nina says her baby is due on Labor Day which they claim to be, “Perfect timing, huh?”

MOVIE: “Juno” (2007, PG-13, 96 min, watch it: DVD, Hulu)

A relatively timeless movie, “Juno” looks at the hardships of teen pregnancy and adoption. Even though the titular character is a snarky teenager with an endless supply of sarcastic quips, she is also a heart-warming personality you’ll invariably cheer for. When she develops a friendship with the potential adoptive parents, things come crashing down once again as she wonders if there is any chance not of her having a normal life, but if such a thing as a normal life even exists. With a stellar cast, this movie is a great look at just how much pregnancy can change the lives of people all around the mother-to-be.

MOVIE: “Baby Mama” (2008, PG-13, 99 min, watch it: DVD, Max, Hulu, Cinemax)

Here is a movie with a surprising plot filled with twists hiding underneath the veneer of a nonsensical comedy. Hosting several “Saturday Night Live” alums, there are laughs aplenty throughout the movie, but there is actually something sincere to the storyline. Kate (Tina Fey) wants a child but finds the odds are not on her side, and she hires a surrogate in Angie (Amy Poehler). Personally, I find Kate to frequently be a scathingly mean person, but fortunately the movie itself handles the content in a nicer way. With a look at surrogacy, older and/or single women having children, and what would make us happy in life, this movie has a lot to offer amongst the laughs.

MOVIE: “Nine Months” (1995, PG-13, 103 min, watch it: DVD)

This movie is billed as a rom-com (or romantic comedy) but definitely falls more into the dramedy (drama comedy) with a heavy-handed dosage of schtick comedy. At the center of the movie are Rebecca Taylor (Julianne Moore) and Samuel Faulkner (Hugh Grant) who are enjoying a relationship together without tangles, up until Rebecca realizes she’s pregnant. What plays out is a drama looking at how people try to cope with this unexpected news and it really focuses on Samuel who sways back and forth while figuring out his desires. Still, the birth of the baby is a focal point of the movie, especially when Dr. Kosevich (Robin Williams) is the doctor on call to deliver.

So, are any of these movies What2Watch for you this Labor Day weekend? Many of the movies here portray women who face hard choices with how pregnancy and child rearing will affect their lives and careers. There are many hard-working moms in the workforce, something that should be both commended and celebrated. In fact, a holiday looking at the importance of labor from everyone in the workforce wouldn’t be out of place and… oh, I see what happened here. Well, these movie choices may not be in line with the traditional spirit of Labor Day after all, but they’re all a great twist!

Kent Kraft is someone who thinks he’s funny but knows how to be serious too. He’d point you in the direction of “The Grapes of Wrath” (1940) or “On the Waterfront” (1954) if you want a serious movie about the hardships of labor and worker perseverance, “Norma Rae” (1979) or “Cesar Chavez” (2014) for movies about organized labor, and “Office Space” (1999) or “9 to 5” (1980) if you want a labor comedy.