Maybe Baby

Well, let's see....

It's got Hugh Laurie in it, so it must be funny, right? And it's about making babies, so it must be very funny, right? And it's written by Ben Elton, so it has to be very, very funny, right? Well, the ingredients may be there but this christmas pudding is a stale pancake. As a brit, may I be honest and say that the term "British comedy" is very much a contradiction in terms these days.

Trouble is, all the 'in crowd' who make films here don't have a shred of genuine humor between them. For 'comedy' read 'stupidity' - so far as these idiots are concerned, they are interchangeable.

Sadly, only americans know how to do humor now. They don't know how to do much else, but they do know humor.

I went to the cinema to see this film and walked out of it after about 40 minutes because it was completely unfunny and seemed to be rapidly decending to an all-time low of mindless drivel. This film is an all-time turkey in my book, - it left me wondering what on earth Hugh Grant's career has come to. On the other hand, if you find frustrated impotent men hilariously amusing then you'll probably like it, but then there would have to be something very wrong in your mind somewhere - I suggest you see a psychotherapist. I admit that the 'joke' is reasonably well executed on the first occasion it is used, and it didn't particularly bother me, but when 40 minutes later the film still hadn't moved on from the same, by now, very stale old joke, it began to become very irksome and before long I couldn't bear to sit and watch any more of this mindless dross and just left the cinema. It definately ranks as one of the worst movies I have ever seen for all the worst reasons. Tiresome and unfunny drivel.

"Maybe Baby" is a very British comedy about a married couple who are having trouble making a baby. He's a script writer who sees the foibles and farces involved in their attempts to conceive as fuel for a screenplay which could save his failing career. She's a Barbiesque beauty who's avoiding the advances of a charismatic actor while trying to conceive. A fun frolic through the camp and corny, "Maybe Baby" is about 80% comedy with the remaining 20% spread over drama, pathos, romance, contemplations about married life, etc. resulting in a light hearted romp which should play well with more mature married-with-kids types, especially females into English humor, in spite of lukewarm critical reviews. (B)

BBC producer and scriptwriter Sam is married to Lucy and are trying for a child. As they try all sorts of methods to improve their chances, Sam's work begins to suffer until it is suggested that he write about something close to his own life. He begins to develop a script based on his and Lucy's attempts to get pregnant – without her knowledge. However prying into he diary for more info he gets more than he bargained for.

A BBC film this features so many stars of BBC TV comedy that you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a sitcom with high production values. In fact much of the plot and the laughs come very much from the sitcom school of writing, albeit of a slightly higher quality. There are quite a few very funny bits, plenty of saucy moments and jokes and some very soapy, sweet bits. It does feel like a sitcom with high ideas – although it still manages to be gently entertaining, if never exactly brilliant in any sense.

Laurie is good without showing the wit that made him famous, while Richardson is very good back in a British film. The rest of the cast is made up of big stars like Lumley, French etc in all sorts of role and then a host of faces where you'll be struggling to remember where you saw them – I got at least two Eastenders actors in very small roles.

Overall if you like UK sitcoms then this'll be right up your street (and a little bit better than what you're used to), if you don't then this is very slight but it still might win you over.

This is quite possibly one of the worst comedies I have ever seen. I don't know if I laughed once throughout the whole film! It was terrible. The story of a couple trying for a baby belongs in the world of soap opera and not the big screen. This is especially true when it is clear Ben Elton has nothing funny to write about his true life experience. DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM!!!