Three Men and a Baby

To be real critic about this film is not so easy. Because it is nice and honest and predictable. Because it is build around three good comedy actors from legendary series and because it propose the high nightmare of many bachelors. So, it is real good. And like the wines, after decades it becomes better and better.

This is a really cute, light hearted comedy. The plot may be pretty unrealistic, the ending kooky & unbelievable, and don't get your morals from it, but all in all...it's great fun to watch.

The story revolves around three carefree bachelors (Peter, Michael, and Jack) who share a New York City apartment. All are busy with their jobs, girlfriends, and social lives and have no intention of settling down anytime soon. While actor Jack is away shooting a movie, a baby is left outside their apartment door with a note indicating that this is Jack's child from an affair with his co star (though he's previously been unaware of this offspring's existence). His two room mates mistakenly believe that they are to deliver the baby to a couple of men who appear at the door asking for 'a package'. Right before they are about to hand the baby over, they realize these men are drug dealers. Then the bachelors have to contend with the baby's care as well as the drug dealers' demands for payment.

The three bachelors are played by famous name stars...Tom Sellick (Peter, the architect), Steve Guttenberg (Michael, the artist), and Ted Danson (Jack, the actor). Their considerable talents and playboyish charisma have a lot to do with this movie's success. The unlikely trio must learn to juggle the demands of baby care with their careers and social lives. It's really fun to watch them in all the stereotypical hilarious circumstances of diapering and baby tending. The men's paternal instincts come into play and the bachelors grow quite attached to the little tyke.

Directed by Leonard Nimoy (Spock, my favourite), this is a generally light, mindless, and entertaining movie that shows how these three 'hunks' & confirmed bachelors are won over by little baby Mary. Switch your brain into neutral and enjoy the ride.

I was actually surprised at how much I liked 3 Men and a Baby. I agree there are some hit-and-miss moments, and it does start off slowly, but a vast majority of it is very funny and enjoyable. The story is simple, three bachelors find a baby on the doorstep and before long they are knee-deep in bottles, nappies and goo. No matter how simple this story is it is effective too.

Leonard Nimoy's direction adeptly keeps the entertainment and comedy afloat and it comes thick and fast, while the script has plenty of funny and engaging moments. The film is very nice visually, especially loved that apartment, and the music is good enough. The acting I had little problem with either, Ted Danson, Steve Guttenberg and Tom Selleck show great chemistry together and deliver great performances individually as each of their characters get increasingly harassed while adapting to changing, feeding and burping duties, and the baby was very cute.

All in all, very enjoyable and fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Three bachelors have their lives flipped upside down when little baby Mary is left on their doorstep.

A remake of successful 1985 French film Three Men And A Cradle, this Hollywood version took the box office by storm to make a domestic profit of over $155,000,000. It's not hard to see why really. Yes it looks a touch twee now, and the irritating drug-smuggling sub-plot (also in the original) grows more tiresome with subsequent revisits. Yet it has a frothy cleanness so lacking in many more similar big budgeted movies that came after it. Starring Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg as the "no parenting skills" bachelors, Leonard Nimoy's film , (yes, Spock) sees quality interplay between the guys and some bona fide funny sequences as they in turn attempt to do right by Mary. Yep it's all telegraphed comedy, and the ending holds no surprises for anyone once Nancy Travis as Mary's mother comes back to claim the child. But come on folks, three beefy bachelors trying to change diapers and entertain a wailing baby has to be charming; surely? 7/10

"Three Men and a Baby" is one of those movies like "Ghostbusters" that you enjoy in spite of the fact that you realize that they are only made for money and are otherwise empty. I saw this about three times when it was new and laughed like a loon each time. A couple of days ago, I saw a dubbed version on Czech TV. This time, only a few of the jokes made me laugh such as the drug hiding jokes, the scenes of the three roomies being obviously outside of their element with the baby and that masterpiece of a scene where Tom Selleck tells off the pompous Hungarian celloist (I always loved that one). Otherwise, the only other entertainment value is provided by the "goofball with a heart of gold" appeal of the three lead actors and a cute little baby for the more sentimental viewers. One thing which struck me though was just how garishly the 80s the music and the fashions were ! When people think "good 1980s music", they usually think of new wave and some of the better hard rock stuff. The music here, though, is exactly the kind of sugary drivel that is best left forgotten. And the fashions, of course, make everyone look like either a "Miami Vice" fan or an ultra clean cut Young Republican. "Three Men and a Baby" is a genuine artifact in this sense.