The film opens with a group of students wanting to know where babies come from and the teacher not knowing exactly how to explain. This bookends multiple scenes relating to conception that feature the experiences and complications of nine various and contrasting couples, some wishing for a baby, others shocked by the prospect and others with confused feelings.
Cast
The Couples
Alan Tudyk as Mark – married to Gwen, he is sex-deprived due to Gwen recently having a baby
Jennifer Jostyn as Gwen – married to Mark, sleep-deprived mother who recently gave birth; she doesn’t like what the first pregnancy did to her body.
Jonathan Silverman as Brad – married to Laurie, they argue to keep his sex life going.
Jennifer Finnigan as Laurie – married to Brad, they argue to keep her sex life going.
America Olivo as Gina – married to Tommy, they also argue to keep their relationship going.
Tim Griffin as Tommy – married to Gina, they also argue to keep their relationship going.
Jason Mantzoukas as Brian – married to Gloria, he is squeamish about injecting his wife with hormones to help them conceive.
Connie Britton as Gloria – married to Brian, she is a nurse who at age 40 wants a baby.
Moon Bloodgood as Nikki – a lesbian who is with Tay, they have a donated container of sperm for her to get pregnant.
Pamela Adlon as Tay – a lesbian who is with Nikki.
Sarah Hyland as Tracey – partner of J.T.’s, a teenager who trades her virginity for J.T.'s vow to eat vegetarian.
Matt Prokop as J.T. – partner of Tracey, vows to eat vegetarian to have sex with Tracey.
Julie Bowen as Tiffany – a divorcee with a daughter, who gets her boy-toy to make a sex video.
Gregory Smith as Will – a much younger partner of Tiffany’s.
Aaron Ashmore as Eric – partner with Carla, they are on the verge of a breakup due to his bad habits.
Leah Pipes as Carla – partner of Eric.
Steve Howey as Joel – paired with Bree, they are on a blind date together.
In his review of Conception for Variety Dennis Harvey considered that: "There are a lot of attractive, likable thesps here, but their material is just so-so. Most of the sketch-like storylines just hit the same note over and over, without the kind of bright dialogue or offbeat twists that might make them pop." Kirk Honeycutt, reviewing Conception for The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Writer-director Josh Stolberg... keeps the pace brisk yet allows each couple enough time for soul searching or intense confrontations to highlight the nature of their relationships." For his review at DVD Talk, Francis Rizzo III rated Conception three and a half stars from five and commented: "Stolberg manages an impressive feat by bringing together these tales in a way that keeps you engaged... Fans of character studies should definitely give it a look, and if you enjoy Mantzoukas, it's a must see."
