Advantages: Tom Hollander supeb performance, a selection of tremendous scenes. Disadvantages: The miscast cameos... uneven combination of humour and drama in places.
...I was concerned. Maybe Baby is the film made from Ben Elton’s book, Inconceivable, the story of a thirty something couple who are trying to have a baby. It is based, apparently, on Elton’s own experiences. Hugh Laurie and the gorgeous Joely Richardson play the couple in question, Sam and Lucy. She was last seen in the topic of my last film review The Patriot. There are also a whole host of cameos from the usual crowd… Joanna Lumley, ... ...or watch…
To me Maybe Baby seemed to suffer from a slight identity crisis. The amusing initial scene… a phone call from Lucy to Sam who is the middle of a ‘new’ BBC meeting with the enticing request for sex… is followed by him jumping on his motorbike and storming off home, firmly sets the tone for humour. However after the initial play for humour the story develops and the film seems to reach for a more emotional response ...
Mercury 13.03.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
Advantages: It’s a big screen British comedy. Disadvantages: Not genuinely funny enough though.
Ben Elton’s debut as a director encompasses his own experiences with IVF (and of course, adapted from his book, ‘Inconceivable’), ‘Maybe Baby’ goes from one mood to another without really finding a firm footing as it shifts from an air of romantic comedy to drama, quite quickly.
The story involves Sam (Hugh Laurie) and Lucy (Joely Richardson) when they find out they cannot naturally conceive, become increasingly desperate ... ...the BBC as a producer and agent. Together, they go through the process of IVF....
Lucy however, is on the verge of having an affair AND Sam is having adulterous thoughts.
Sam is secretly writing a film and basing it on THEIR life. Lucy disapproves and this threatens their relationship....
It begins affable enough being funny, then edges it’s way to a dramatic conclusion.
Some of the best scenes are inevitably when the pair are in hospital. ...
kingmaker 21.07.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
Advantages: Better than you might anticipate, generally Disadvantages: Not quite as witty as it thinks it is, possibly
...Inconceivable, and therefore Maybe Baby, deals with infertility and a couple's increasingly desperate attempts to produce a sprog. Elton's first-hand association with the often de-humanising machinations and rigmarole that childless families have to endure gives Maybe Baby a level of insight and wry humour that could so easily have ended up farcical and bereft of credible emotion or drama. Fear not, for this film is no Mad Cows.
Instead, we have ... ...much does here too.
Maybe Baby is resolutely nice...which these days is quixotically more of a sin than being a nasty, vulgar slice of cheap exploitation. No matter, it's a relief to have at least a small handful of British movies every year or two which don't subscribe to that school of film-making.
In fact, a running joke through the script is a thinly-veiled swipe at that very style perpetrated by Studios and TV Stations alike. Elton, once the ...
EnglishPatient 31.01.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
Advantages: funny, great cast, interesting plot Disadvantages: not as good as the book
...the book (Still with me?), Maybe Baby. We had both enjoyed reading it and looked forward to seeing the movie version. Of course, with hindsight, we realised we should have seen the film before reading the book – so a warning to anyone out there, get it round the right way!
The movie was made last year and stars Joely Richardson as Lucy with Hugh Laurie as her husband, Sam Bell. As in the book, the main focus of the story is about their infertility ... ...turns up at the door but without the right package. It’ll be interesting to see what people thought to it as a stand-alone film, not having read the book, maybe they enjoyed it more. I would certainly recommend it, it’s worth seeing, but is inferior to the novel. ...
KarenUK 15.10.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
Advantages: great cast, the shakespeare! Disadvantages: not funny, misses its potential
As ciao seems to be a family forum I'll refrain from naming the part of the giant chalk man's anatomy which appears in this movie, but given the subject of the movie, and the fact I won't name it, I'm guessing you got there already. Famous fertility rite apparently. So the formidable and witch-like Drusilla, played by Emma Thompson tells the keen-to-be-parents, Sam and Lucy Bell. Sam and Lucy Bell, played by Hugh Laurie and Joely Richardson, are ... ...important thing in either of their lives, desperate enough to try the wacky suggestions of the witchy Drusilla, even desperate enough to try all that conventional fertility treatment has to offer. Predictably this makes for some comic moments, but although the potential for this to be an absolutely hilarious movie is all there in the cast and subject matter, once again this is a British comedy which somehow misses it. I found myself writing scenes ...
lily7star 31.03.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
Advantages: thoughtful story, good cast Disadvantages: a bit wooden, doesnt flow quite smothly
First of all I will start by saying that me and my partner have been trying for a baby for over a year now with no success, so the subject matter of this film was a concern as well as a draw...I didnt want to end up being offended by what was being said or done, but sometimes it just feels good to see portrayed on screen the things that are happening in life. I will also point out that I have not read Ben Eltons book, inconceivable, but might give ... ...The main thing about this movie was the fact that, despite being a comedy, it is in no way taking the mick out of conception or infertility etc, there were obvious jokes about sperm and the likes but nothing offensive. This really appealled to me from a personal point of view and made the film more endearing. I believe that these are the conversations that couples trying for a baby will have (and when you're ovulating, believe me it doesnt matter ...
kirstenc1985 06.09.2009
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
Advantages: Brilliant and true to life Disadvantages: A bit of a chick flick
Maybe baby is not a cinema film, there are no amazing special effects, no big fight scenes, no huge "hollywood" names, but it doesn't need them. Maybe baby - based on the book by Ben Elton - is not for kids who need a thrill, it's for people who like watching films about other people. In a story that is believeable you can understand and empathise with the charaters, the desperation that two people feel when trying for a baby, and believe me these ...
han_2000 04.08.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
Advantages: comedy and drama combined Disadvantages: none
...Here is my review on Maybe Baby…this is a new avenue for me film reviews and I’m not quite sure If I’m good enough at it!!.
This film was recommended to me by a Fellow Ciao’er , who writes great film reviews so thought I’d better have a go, however I will warn you it does contain the concept of the film.
MAYBE BABY…
A romantic, funny, cynical and yet sad view into the lives of a couple that are desperate to ... ...and here this gives a hint of the humour and style the film portrays.
Here you will also find a host of well-known names, however most only have brief appearances but the do make their mark on the films charm and charisma.
Joely Richardson and Hugh Laurie portray Lucy and Sam Bell, whose lives revolve round sex in their bid to conceive a child.
The opening scenes set you up for what’s in store as Lucy preens herself in the bedroom for her ...
broksababe 11.03.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
Advantages: quite amuzing Disadvantages: not much plot
Once I'd seen the film Maybe Baby, I realised that it is not all that it appears to be. It is very funny st times, but unfortunately I had seen most of them watching commercials! It does some of the most talented comedians and this should have helped the story, but the lack of a serious plot was offputting. The film may appeal to those Ben Elton fans out there but I was not all that impressed! The hype created before the film made me think that this ...
KatieB 26.08.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
Advantages: Humour. Romance. Reality! Disadvantages: Not really for youngsters
...Chicken Run (also good). Maybe Baby is a very light hearted comedy with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. The general plot is based around a couple who cannot have a baby. They first think they are infertile and then try IVF. In the mean time the male half of the relationship who is a film buff of kinds at the BBC writes a film on their lives.... I wont ruin it by telling you any more! The film is generally not for youngsters but will ...
bssb 18.07.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
Maybe Baby, I imagine that anyone going through the things that Sam and Lucy Bell (Hugh Laurie & Joely Richardson) go through in this movie could probably empathise with them. I myself am not nor am I likely to, so my opinion is from the outsider’s point of view.
Sam and Lucy are trying for a baby (and boy are they trying) the things they have to endure are not done just for comic effect, I am told that people who can’t conceive actually ... ...of Joanna Lumley, Rowan Atkinson, Dawn French and a single appearance by Emma Thompson. The movie works well enough and is enjoyable, although probably more so if you’re going through it or have been through it yourself.
Maybe Baby – Not a bad film.
Wemstalker. ...
wemstalker 05.03.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
Well, it's based on his true story, so i guess I was sympathetic from the beginning. To be honest i was expecting to enjoy it.
BUT
The script is weak, many things are delivered as witticisms, when really they aren't funny at all, just a bit bland really.
Joelly Richardson is a STRANGE actress, I couldn't make up my mind whether she was crap or the script was crap, i suspect BOTH.
Rowen Atkinson IS funny (though not realistic, much like Dawn French).
...
Baldrick 12.07.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
Advantages: Ben Elton wrote it..what can I say Disadvantages: doesn't show Hugh Laurie at his best
.......in this movie as he is far more talented than the movie would allow him to be. I found it boring and dismal at times and all the funny parts were literally shown in the preview, there wasn't much else that the preview didn't show.
The ending seemed to work around this huge build up to having a baby, and before you knew it the film was over...... finito!!!
The cinema hall was empty and you could see half of the audience dissappearing half ...
karlmarsh 24.07.2000
· Read full review
Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
This is another low budget British film, however it is extremely funny at times as you learn how a married couple try desperately to have a baby. The real life drama turns into a disaster as the desperate film writer, script his life into his newest film to save his job, going against his wifes will and jeperdising his marriage. This is not a film that should be watched with children if you are an adult as some scene tend to be slighly enbarassing ...
gethinrob 20.07.2000
· Read full review
Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
From a screen play written by Ben Elton you know what to expect from the outset, alot of classicaly english bottom humour! My expectations were quite high being a big fan of Blackadder which probably was due to Richard Curtis if anything.
Why are the same old faces cropping up in every english film going? Dawn French as an australian nurse (at least I think that was the accent she was trying to pull off) and Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean surely by now ... ...script weak. I always enjoy watching Hugh Laurie, but this time was struggling in a leading role.
Some excellent moments from the smooth shakesperian actor and the eccentric glaswecian director combined with some other amusing moments made this film just about worth going to see... Yet another typical English comedy wannabe with tired, re-hashed gags and dire dialogue. The performances are false and the whole movie is woefully mis-judged. A film ...
movieexp 17.07.2000
· Read full review
Review of Maybe Baby (DVD)
Comedy - Director: Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Carol Cleveland, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Production Year: 2004 - Comedy - Director: John Hay - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jimi Mistry, Kate Miles, Dougray Scott
|
