Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

Maybe Baby

MPA Rating: R-Rating (MPA) for sexual content and language.

Reviewed by: Gregory Rogers
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults
Genre: Comedy
Length: 1 hr. 34 min.
Year of Release: 2001
USA Release:
Hugh Laurie and Joely Richardson in “Maybe Baby”
Featuring Hugh Laurie, Joely Richardson, Adrian Lester, James Purefoy, Tom Hollander
Director Ben Elton
Producer Phil McIntyre
Distributor USA Films

“Maybe not”

Don’t be deceived by my title above. Not that it’s a bad bit of celluloid or anything, but the latest Brit offering “Maybe Baby” does tend to suffer from below-the-belt ruminatings which could obscure the aftertaste for the Christian viewer.

It’s quite a good outing, really, as films go. Sam and Lucy Bell (Hugh Laurie and Joely Richardson respectively) are a thirty-something couple trying desperately—and failing—to have a baby. All this between the general travails of life, which include drastic policy upheavals at Sam’s native BBC, wrought by an inept boss.

Their apparent infertility is underscored by Sam’s current creative barrenness, hit home by the unctuous “Ewan Proclaimer” (a jibe at “Trainspotting”, perhaps?) fellow-writer and apparent rainmaker at the “beeb,” whose vision can only be described as bizarre.

Not to be outdone, Sam bundles together a script to prove he is still up to it. The problem is that the only way he can write it is by stealing titbits from his and Lucy’s private life, even if it means dipping into Lucy’s diary. Thus the “film within the film,” about a couple who are unable to fall pregnant. Predictably, however, Lucy finds out about it and the marriage hits ignominious hard ground.

The strength of the film lies in the script, brilliantly penned by comedy maestro Ben Elton of “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Black Adder” fame. The one-liners are hugely original—if risque—and the venture is supported by a great comedy cast which, apart from Hugh Laurie, include Dawn French and Rowan “Mr. Bean” Atkinson as a dotty doctor. Even Emma Thompson makes a brief appearance, breaking her current acting drought. The script also plumbs the depths of the male and female psyche, thus successfully appealing to both sexes in the audience.

On the other hand, I’m afraid, “Maybe Baby” cannot be called a Christian film, and seems to contain every human vice since the sexual revolution. In this respect it tends to suffer from classic British sexual repression. Elton has a great sense of humour, but intrudes into an arena many would find offensive.

A gud’un it may be, but caution is advised.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive—As a Christian couple struggling with infertility for 3½ years, and now at this very place that this couple is at, we found this movie quite good. It helped us to laugh at the humorous side of baby making. While we didn’t agree with the behavior of the wife in the movie who opted for an extra-marital affair instead of working on her own marriage, we still would recommend this movie to people. I think it may be too hard for people to get in to if they haven’t gone through this though. That was what got us through it.
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 3½]
Patiently Trusting in God’s Timing
Negative—I just couldn’t watch the whole movie… there was a lot of conversation… and it was overall the most boring movie ever.
My Ratings: [Extremely Offensive / 1]
Grace, age 18