Three Men and a Baby

Last updated

Three Men and a Baby
Three Men and a Baby.png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Leonard Nimoy
Screenplay by
Based on Trois hommes et un couffin
by Coline Serreau
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Adam Greenberg
Edited byMichael A. Stevenson
Music by Marvin Hamlisch
Production
companies
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • November 25, 1987 (1987-11-25)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$11—15 million [1] [2]
Box office$240 million [3]

Three Men and a Baby is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Leonard Nimoy. It stars Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson as three bachelors as they attempt to adapt their lives to de facto fatherhood with the arrival of the love child of one of the men. The script was based on the 1985 French film Trois hommes et un couffin (Three Men and a Cradle).

Contents

The film was the biggest American box office hit of that year, surpassing Fatal Attraction and eventually grossing $167 million in the United States and Canada [4] and $240 million worldwide. [3] The film won the 1988 People's Choice Award for Favorite Comedy Motion Picture. [5] The success of the film launched a franchise.

Plot

Architect Peter Mitchell, cartoonist Michael Kellam, and actor Jack Holden are happy bachelors in their shared New York apartment, with frequent parties and flings. One day, a baby named Mary arrives on their doorstep with a note revealing she is the result of Jack's tryst with an actress named Sylvia during a Stratford Festival Shakespearean production a year prior.

Jack is in Turkey shooting a B movie, and makes arrangements with a director friend to have a package delivered to the apartment. Jack asks his roommates to keep the delivery a secret per his friend's wishes; when Mary arrives, they believe she is the "package".

Peter and Michael are totally befuddled how to care for Mary, and Peter leaves to buy supplies. Their landlady Mrs. Hathaway delivers a small box – the actual "package" of heroin – which Michael tosses aside. They learn to care for Mary, including diaper changes, baths, and feedings.

Four days later, two drug dealers arrive at the apartment for the package. Peter and Michael mistakenly give them Mary, along with a can of powdered milk the dealers believe is the heroin. Peter discovers the actual package; realizing the mix-up, he runs downstairs but trips, spilling the package's contents. He gathers up the drugs and confronts the men outside, causing a scuffle. A police officer on horseback intervenes; Peter rescues Mary, but the dealers flee with the can of powdered milk. The officer detains Peter and Michael at the apartment until Sgt. Melkowitz, a narcotics officer, arrives to question them. Jack calls from Turkey, but Peter and Michael are unable to talk openly as they are being recorded. They successfully hide the drugs, learning that Jack's friend Paul Milner is a drug dealer. A suspicious Melkowitz puts them under surveillance.

Mrs. Hathaway babysits Mary while Peter and Michael go to work. Returning home, they find Mrs. Hathaway bound and gagged and the apartment ransacked by the dealers, but Mary safe; a note threatens, "Next time we'll take the baby". Peter and Michael continue to care for Mary, adjusting to 'fatherhood' and growing attached.

Peter incapacitates an intruder, who turns out to be Jack, returning early after his movie role was cut. Jack assures Peter and Michael he knew nothing about the heroin. He initially denies his connection to Mary, but Sylvia's note convinces him he is Mary's father. Peter and Michael pass all parenting responsibility to Jack, who quickly grows to love her.

They receive a news clipping in the mail – Milner has been attacked by the drug dealers and hospitalized – with another threat: "Don't let this happen to you!" Peter, Michael, and Jack formulate a plan to trap the dealers, arranging a meeting. Jack, disguised as a pregnant woman, leaves the building with Mary, while Peter and Michael leave in a cab, followed by undercover officers, but manage to lose them in another cab driven by Jack. The three meet the dealers at the top floor of a construction site. Michael, hidden in the vents, records Peter's conversation with the dealers but falls into the room, and a chase ensues. They manage to trap the dealers in an elevator as the police arrive. With the recording, they prove their innocence to Melkowitz, and the dealers are arrested.

Peter, Michael, and Jack fully embrace their role as Mary's guardians, until Sylvia arrives to take Mary with her to London. After she leaves with Mary, the three realize how desperately they miss the baby. Racing to the airport, they just miss Sylvia's plane for London. Defeated, they return home to find Sylvia and Mary at the door. Sylvia tearfully says she doesn't want to give up acting but must if she has to raise Mary alone. They invite her and Mary to move in; she accepts, and the four live happily with the baby.

Cast

Production

Mary was played by twins Lisa and Michelle Blair. [6]

The soundtrack included the Peter Cetera song "Daddy's Girl", which was used for the movie's big music montage sequence, the Miami Sound Machine song "Bad Boy", which opened it, and the John Parr song "The Minute I Saw You", which ended the film.

Urban legend

Shots from the film showing what some believe are a shotgun and a young boy. 3MenBabyGhost.jpg
Shots from the film showing what some believe are a shotgun and a young boy.

Just over an hour into the final cut of the film, there is a scene that shows Jack and his mother (played by Celeste Holm) walking through the house with Mary. As they do so, they pass a background window on the left-hand side of the screen, and a black outline that appears to resemble a rifle pointed downward can be seen behind the curtains. As they walk back past the window 40 seconds later, a human figure can be seen in that window. A persistent urban legend began circulating August 1990 (shortly before the sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady , premiered) that this was the ghost of a boy who had been killed in the house where the film (or this scene) was filmed. The most common version of this myth was that a nine-year-old boy committed suicide with a shotgun there, explaining why it was vacant: because the grieving family left. This notion was discussed on the first episode of TV Land: Myths and Legends in January 2007, and was referenced in "Hollywood Babylon", a second-season episode of the TV series Supernatural .

Danson's character standing next to a cardboard cutout of himself. DansonStandee.jpg
Danson's character standing next to a cardboard cutout of himself.

The figure is actually a cardboard cutout "standee" of Jack, wearing a tuxedo and top hat, that was left on the set. It was created as part of the storyline, in which he, an actor, appears in a dog food commercial, but this portion was cut from the final version of the film. The standee does show up later in the film, when Jack stands next to it as Sylvia comes to reclaim Mary. Snopes.com contends that the one in the first scene looks smaller than it does in the later scene because of the distance and angle of the shot, and because the curtains obscure its outstretched arms. As for the contention that a boy died in the house, all the indoor scenes were shot on a Toronto sound stage, and no kind of residential dwellings were used for interior filming. [7] [8]

Reception

Critical response

The critical response to Three Men and a Baby was generally positive. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 67% based on reviews from 70 critics, and an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's consensus reads: "Like the French farce it's based on, Three Men and a Baby is too self-satisfied with scatalogical humor to qualify as a bundle of joy, but the role of makeshift daddy brings out the best in Tom Selleck". [9] Metacritic gave the film a score of 61 based on 16 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [10] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. [11]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times , despite noting several aspects he saw as flaws, praised the film, remarking: "Because of Selleck and his co-stars... the movie becomes a heartwarming entertainment". He gave it 3 (out of four) stars. [12] Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote "this story is about four babies, not just one" and "the film bubbles along in a funny if predictable way, with a lot more gags than the earlier film managed". [6]

Box office

The film opened in theaters on Wednesday, November 25, 1987. It grossed $168 million in the United States and Canada [1] [13] [14] and $72 million internationally for a worldwide gross of $240 million. [3] It was notable for the Walt Disney Studios since it was the first production from the studio to gross over $100 million domestically in its initial run and its highest-grossing film at the time until surpassed in 1990 by Pretty Woman . [15] [16] It was the highest-grossing film of 1987 domestically, with an estimated 42 million tickets sold in the US.[ citation needed ]

Sequel

The film was followed by a 1990 sequel titled Three Men and a Little Lady.

Future

In 2010, a third film titled Three Men and a Bride was in development. [17] The sequel project entered development hell and was eventually abandoned in favor of a reboot.

Reboot

In December 2020, the as-of-yet untitled reboot was announced to be in development, with Zac Efron cast in a starring role. The film is intended to be a streaming exclusive film, for Disney+. [18] Maurice "Mo" Marable was chosen to direct the reboot in January 2021. [19] By April 2022, Marable stated that the script is nearing completion. The filmmaker said that the project will pay homage to the originals, while introducing a mixed-race cast. He also intends for the stars of the original films to appear in the movie, with a cameo role at minimum. [20]

Adaptations

While direct inspiration has never been confirmed, The TV show Baby Daddy , an American sitcom that premiered in 2012 on ABC Family, is often said to be very similar to the film. [21] [22] [23] The series follows Ben, living with his elder brother Danny and close friend Tucker, who raise a baby left at their door. Six seasons were produced, with the final episode airing in 2017.

This film also served as inspiration for other adaptations, and was remade in several regions:

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Romancing the Stone</i> 1984 film by Robert Zemeckis

Romancing the Stone is a 1984 action adventure romantic comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Diane Thomas and produced by Michael Douglas, who also stars in the film alongside Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. The film follows a romance novelist who must venture beyond her New York City comfort zone to Colombia in order to save her sister from criminals who are holding her for ransom.

<i>New Jack City</i> 1991 film by Mario Van Peebles

New Jack City is a 1991 American crime action film based on an original story and written by Thomas Lee Wright and Barry Michael Cooper, and directed by Mario Van Peebles in his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Allen Payne, Chris Rock, Judd Nelson, Bill Cobbs, and Van Peebles. Its plot follows Nino Brown, a drug lord in New York City during the crack epidemic, and Scotty Appleton, an NYPD detective who vows to end Nino's rise to power by going undercover to work for Nino's gang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Travis</span> American actress (born 1961)

Nancy Ann Travis is an American actress. She began her career on Off-Broadway theater, before her first leading screen role in the ABC television miniseries Harem opposite Omar Sharif. Her breakthrough came in 1987, playing Sylvia Bennington in the comedy film Three Men and a Baby. She later starred in its sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady (1990).

<i>Spider-Man 3</i> 2007 superhero film directed by Sam Raimi

Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, and Laura Ziskin Productions, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it was directed by Sam Raimi from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Ivan and Alvin Sargent. It is the third and final installment in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, and the sequel to Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004). The film stars Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, alongside Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, James Cromwell, Rosemary Harris, and J. K. Simmons. It also marks the final acting appearance of Cliff Robertson before his retirement in the same year and his subsequent death in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Guttenberg</span> American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director (born 1958)

Steven Robert Guttenberg is an American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director. His lead roles in Hollywood films of the 1980s and 1990s include Cocoon, Police Academy, Three Men and a Baby, Diner, The Bedroom Window, Three Men and a Little Lady, The Big Green, and Short Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superhero film</span> Film genre

A superhero film is a film that focuses on superheroes and their actions. Superheroes are individuals who usually possess superhuman abilities and are dedicated to protecting the public. These films typically feature action, adventure, fantasy, or science fiction elements. The first film about a particular character often focuses on the hero's origin story. It also frequently introduces the hero's nemesis.

Nickelodeon Movies Inc. is an American film production company owned by Paramount Global. Originally founded in 1995, it serves as both the film production arm of the American children's network Nickelodeon and the family film distribution label of Paramount Pictures, operating under its Paramount Players division.

<i>Three Men and a Cradle</i> 1985 French comedy film

Three Men and a Cradle is a 1985 French comedy film by Coline Serreau. The film was remade in Hollywood as Three Men and a Baby in 1987, which subsequently inspired nine adaptations in seven languages.

<i>Three Men and a Little Lady</i> 1990 film by Emile Ardolino

Three Men and a Little Lady is a 1990 American comedy film directed by Emile Ardolino. It is the sequel to the 1987 film Three Men and a Baby, and the second installment overall in the franchise of the same name. Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson reprise the leading roles.

<i>Joe</i> (1970 film) 1970 American drama film directed by John G. Avildsen

Joe is a 1970 American drama film written by Norman Wexler and directed by John G. Avildsen. It stars Peter Boyle, Dennis Patrick, and Susan Sarandon in her film debut.

<i>Wild Hogs</i> 2007 film by Walt Becker

Wild Hogs is a 2007 American biker road comedy film directed by Walt Becker and starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy. It was released nationwide in the United States and Canada on March 2, 2007. It was the last film by Tollin/Robbins Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantastic Four in film</span> Adaptions of Fantastic Four in films

The superhero team Fantastic Four featured in Marvel Comics publication has appeared in four live-action films since its inception. The plots deal with four main characters, known formally as Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm, and how they adapt to the superpowers they attain.

<i>Alice in Wonderland</i> (2010 film) 2010 American film directed by Tim Burton

Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 American period adventure fantasy film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay written by Linda Woolverton and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The film stars Mia Wasikowska in the title role, with Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Matt Lucas, and Crispin Glover, while featuring the voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, and Timothy Spall. A live-action adaptation and re-imagining of Lewis Carroll's works, the film follows Alice Kingsleigh, a nineteen-year-old who accidentally falls down a rabbit hole, returns to Wonderland, and alongside the Mad Hatter helps restore the White Queen to her throne by fighting against the Red Queen and her Jabberwocky, a dragon that terrorizes Wonderland's inhabitants.

<i>Brooklyns Finest</i> 2009 film by Antoine Fuqua

Brooklyn's Finest is a 2009 American crime drama film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Michael C. Martin. The film stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, and Wesley Snipes. Brooklyn's Finest had its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 16, 2009 and was released theatrically in the United States on March 5, 2010.

<i>From Paris with Love</i> (film) 2010 French film

From Paris with Love is a 2010 English-language French action thriller film directed by Pierre Morel and starring John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The screenplay was co-written by Luc Besson. The film was released in the United States on February 5, 2010 by Lionsgate Films and both in United Kingdom and Japan by Warner Bros. Pictures.

<i>Honey, I Shrunk the Kids</i> (franchise) American media franchise

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is an American media franchise consisting of a series of family-science fiction-comedy films and a television adaptation, among other works, based on a concept created by Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna, and an original story co-written by Gordon, Yuzna, and Ed Naha. Following the release of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), and its subsequent financial and critical success, two sequels and a television series followed; titled Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992), Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997), and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, respectively. Another sequel titled Shrunk entered development in 2019.

<i>Incredibles 2</i> 2018 film by Brad Bird

Incredibles 2 is a 2018 American animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Brad Bird, it is the sequel to The Incredibles (2004) and the second full-length installment of the franchise. The story follows the Incredibles as they try to restore the public's trust in superheroes while balancing their family life, only to combat a new opponent who seeks to turn the populace against all supers. Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell and Samuel L. Jackson reprise their roles from the first film; newcomers to the cast include Huckleberry Milner, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener and Jonathan Banks. Michael Giacchino returned to compose the score.

<i>22 Jump Street</i> 2014 film by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

22 Jump Street is a 2014 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, written by Jonah Hill, Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman and produced by and starring Hill and Channing Tatum. Ice Cube, Peter Stormare, Jillian Bell, Amber Stevens, and Wyatt Russell also star. It is the sequel to the 2012 film 21 Jump Street, which is in turn based on the television series of the same name. The plot follows police officers Schmidt and Jenko as they go undercover at a college in order to find the supplier of a new drug.

<i>Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle</i> 2017 film directed by Jake Kasdan

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a 2017 American adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan from a screenplay by the writing teams of Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, based on a story conceived by McKenna. The film is the third installment in the Jumanji film series and a stand-alone sequel to Jumanji (1995). It stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, and Bobby Cannavale. The story focuses on a group of teenagers who come across Jumanji, now transformed into a video game twenty-two years after the events of the 1995 film. They find themselves trapped inside the game as a set of adult avatars, seeking to complete a treacherous quest alongside another player who has been trapped since 1996.

<i>Three Men and a Baby</i> (franchise) Film franchise article

The Three Men and a Baby franchise consists of American family-comedies produced by various studios of The Walt Disney Company, including two theatrical films, one television series adaptation, and one upcoming reboot film. Based on the script co-written by Jim Cruickshank & James Orr, which was based on the premise of the 1985 French movie. The plot centers around three best friends, who happily live their lives as single men, until a baby girl is left at their door. The individual installments detail their individual journeys, overcoming their personal desires to become effective selfless parents to the child.

References

  1. 1 2 "Three Men and a Baby (1987)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  2. ↑ Klady, Leonard (January 1, 1989). "Box Office Champs, Chumps: The hero of the bottom line was the 46-year-old 'Bambi'". Los Angeles Times . p. 2. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "'Three Men' Costars Return For Sequel". Daily Variety . February 14, 1990. p. 2.
  4. ↑ "1987 Yearly Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo.
  5. ↑ "1988 -Nominees & Winners". Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Maslin, Janet (November 25, 1987). "Film Review: Three Men and a Baby". The New York Times . Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  7. ↑ Mikkelson, David (June 2, 1997). "Does a Ghost Boy Appear in Three Men and a Baby?". Snopes.com . Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  8. ↑ Ebert, Roger (March 6, 2008). "The Questions That Will Not Die" . Retrieved July 26, 2018– via rogerebert.com.
  9. ↑ "Three Men and a Baby". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Three Men and a Baby Reviews". Metacritic .
  11. ↑ "Cinemascore :: Movie Title Search". December 20, 2018. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  12. ↑ Ebert, Roger (November 25, 1987). "Three Men and a Baby". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Three Men and a Baby Is Top Box-Office Film". The New York Times. January 14, 1988. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  14. ↑ Mathews, Jack (December 29, 1987). "Weekend Box Office". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  15. ↑ "'3 Men' Tops At Disney". Variety . January 13, 1988. p. 4.
  16. ↑ "'Pretty Woman' now top Disney grosser". Variety . September 3, 1990. p. 4.
  17. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (June 3, 2010). "Selleck confirms Three Men sequel plans". Digital Spy . Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  18. ↑ Kit, Borys (August 10, 2020). "Zac Efron to Star in 'Three Men and a Baby' Remake for Disney+ (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  19. ↑ Kroll, Justin (January 29, 2021). "'Woke' Director Mo Marable To Helm Disney+ 'Three Men And A Baby' Reboot Starring Zac Efron". Deadline. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  20. ↑ O'Connell, Mikey (April 19, 2022). "Director Mo Marable Talks 'Woke', 'Killing It' and Working With Michelle Obama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Baby Daddy". Plugged In. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Baby Daddy Behind the Scenes Set Visit - The Bandit Lifestyle". giveawaybandit.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  23. ↑ "TV review: 'Baby Daddy' is three men and a tired premise". Los Angeles Times. June 20, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  24. ↑ https://m.imdb.com/title/tt6747338/
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.