When The Bough Breaks is a 2016 American psychological thriller film directed by Jon Cassar and starring Morris Chestnut, Regina Hall, Jaz Sinclair and Theo Rossi. It was written by Jack Olsen. The screenplay concerns a woman who begins to develop a deadly crush on the husband of the couple she is surrogate mothering for.
Filming began on February 2, 2015, in New Orleans. The film was released on September 9, 2016, received generally negative reviews and grossed $30 million.
Plot
A married couple in their 40s, named John and Laura Taylor (Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall) desperately want to have a baby, but they are unable to have a lasting pregnancy.After attempting all other options, the couple hire a beautiful young woman named Anna (Jaz Sinclair) who agrees to become a gestational surrogate mother for the Taylors.
After Anna has a doctor's appointment, her boyfriend, Mike (Theo Rossi), does not pick her up, causing Anna to go to John's job for a ride home. That night, Laura receives an emergency phone call from Anna. John drives to her house seeing the police. It is then revealed that Mike assaulted Anna, leaving her face bloody and bruised. The police suggest Anna find another place to stay, and John invites her to stay at the couple's house for the time being.
Anna starts to develop a fixation on John as the pregnancy moves further along. Anna's growing obsession interferes with what was a plan by her and Mike, to scam the couple by demanding money. When Mike pushes Anna to demand money, she kills him.
John and Anna find out that the baby is a boy. Later, at work John gets a call from Anna saying that they should go out for lunch, but he becomes annoyed and Anna hangs up. John then avoids all calls from her. Anna walks into his office and tries to seduce him but his boss enters and John prompts Anna to leave.
Anna later reveals her feelings to John and becomes outraged when he says he does not feel the same. He is able to calm her down but she runs out of the guest house into the main house and picks up a knife. The police arrive and Anna lies and says she and John have sex every night. Laura and John then find out that Anna ordered an abortion pill. Laura and John devise a plan to get their unborn baby back by making John act as if he shares Anna's feelings. As Anna thinks she is being played, she walks away. John stops her and kisses her forcefully and asks her to come with him up to the family's lake house.
John returns home to Laura the next day. The plan works fine until Anna notices the two embracing each other. Anna leaves John a voicemail claiming that the baby is coming. He leaves to go to the hospital while Laura stays home.
Anna returns to the Taylor house. She kills the family cat and then hits Laura on the head with a lamp, knocking her out. Anna then goes into labor. While in the hospital they discover that Anna has fled to the family lake-house with the baby. John manages to get the baby but Anna wakes up and a fight breaks out between them. He throws her on to a cabinet which knocks her unconscious. He goes outside and Laura places the baby in the car. When Laura turns on the lights, she sees Anna standing in front with a shotgun. Anna shoots at the car and misses but hits the window. Laura runs over Anna with her car, killing her.
The next morning, Laura, the baby and John are sitting inside the lake house. They hear the police arrive and John turns to Laura and says, "It's going to be okay."
Cast
Morris Chestnut as John Taylor
Regina Hall as Laura Taylor
Jaz Sinclair as Anna Walsh / Anna Devost
Theo Rossi as Mike Mitchell
Romany Malco as Todd Decker
Michael K. Williams as Roland White
Glenn Morshower as Martin Cooper
GiGi Erneta as Dr. Grace Park
Maurice Johnson as Security Guard
Production
On October 29, 2014, Sony's Screen Gems hired Cassar to direct When the Bough Breaks, which Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne were producing. On November 18, 2014, Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall were cast to play the lead roles. On December 16, 2014, Jaz Sinclair signed on to co-star. On January 8, 2015, Theo Rossi was added to the film.
Filming
Production was first set to begin in late January 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Filming began on February 2, 2015, in New Orleans, and was confirmed by Screen Gems on February 11. Filming was taking place on St. Charles Avenue in early March, and was scheduled to end in mid-March 2015.