Review of 3 Men and a Baby (1987) by Gareth R — 04 Jan 2011

When three hardy bachelors find a baby on their doorstep, it's a fair bet comedy hijinks will ensue. Three Men & A Baby does not disappoint on this score. The adventures of Peter (Tom Selleck) and Michael (Steve Guttenberg) as they try to figure out baby food and nappies are full of laughs. (Jack shows up later to make it the requisite Three Men. Presumably, had it been just Two Men & A Baby, it would have skated too close to being Two Gay Men Look Into Adoption.).

But oddly, there's a whole other side to the movie. The plot, probably in an effort to keep going for the full ninety minutes, spirals off into a drug deal gone wrong. Seriously. While this allows for a lot of exciting drama, it is completely superfluous to the film's real story - the three guys dealing with a baby in their apartment. I haven't seen the French movie all this is based on, but I've got a sneaking suspicion the drugs subplot is a new invention. It makes no difference to how the story ends, and it's unlikely the characters will mention it in the sequel. (Sure enough, they don't.).

It is a generally affable and entertaining movie, either when you're laughing with it (as the men and women in the audience find recognition in all the baby disasters) or at it (during the hideous day-glo '80s setting, and the various awful sped-up montages). Three Men & A Baby may not be complicated, but it deserves its hit status. Although saying that, I have already forgotten large chunks of it. Quick, rate it before it's all gone!