Dumb laughs are easy to come by. Dumb characters are even easier. But when you get a movie that is so endearingly, goofily dumb as "Baby's day Out", you can't help but love it!
The plot is straight out of Cartoon Land, with a low bow in the Three Stooges' direction compliments of scripter John Hughes (surprise!). Three of the dimmest kidnappers in history (Mantegna, Pantoliano and Haley) make the mistake of kidnapping a rich couple's little baby, who turns out to be far more resourceful than all three of them combined. And a lot more ruthless.
During the course of the day, baby Bink (Warton and Warton) leads the dumb bad guys throughout the width and breadth of Chicago and leaves them all bruised, beaten, burnt, plummeted from innumerable high drops and otherwise humiliated ("we've had the living hell torn out of us by a baby," screams Mantegna at one point). And all the while, we're laughing.
I saw this in the theatre when it first came out and, I must admit, the entire packed-in audience was laughing hysterically at every single pratfall, gag and slapstick business that occurred. I love this kind of movie and seeing the great Joe Mantegna take his lumps so valiantly brings a smile in itself.
It's nice to play dumb once in a while. And even nicer to witness it.
Eight stars for "Baby's Day Out". If you like such laughs, it'll make your "Day".
