Maybe Baby ou Comment les Anglais se reproduisent

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.

"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)

This romantic comedy lost its way a bit leaving it only partly romantic and I'm afraid not always very funny. There are a few shots at Auntie (the BBC for our overseas readers) and several very good lines though some may be very familiar to those who have seen writer Ben Elton's stand up show or his BBC series.

A full cast of 80s alternative comedians makes their appearance, Emma Thompson almost looking identical to her mother in 'Saving Grace' in her mad hippie cameo and Dawn French affecting a bizarre Aussie accent as a nurse.

Hugh Laurie does well as always in his role as a sort of alternative 90s Cary Grant and James Purefoy will get most people's juices running (cf. the line by Joanna Lumley's character quoted in an earlier comment) but all in all this just wasn't funny enough, I don't know why, perhaps there were just too many targets.

Only 6/10 from me I'm afraid.

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.

Having read the comments I am surprised that this film hasn't gotten a more positive reception. Maybe is is just me but I love British comedy. Actually, I just love the British, dispite their dislike of us. The problem is that I can't understand half of what the characters are saying. It's weird, I love to hear Brits talk but for some reason or other it is like listening to a foreign language. I bought the DVD of "Maybe Baby" just so I can watch it until I get the dialogue down.

The story involves an infertile couple who go to extremes in an attempt to get pregnant though they are both healthy and individually capable of procreating. Joely Richardson is beautiful and talented and the main reason for my attraction to the movie. Much has been said about the bevy of British comedians in the film but I must admit to not being familiar with any of them. I particularly liked the character of the movie director. He cracked me up, though he was the most difficult to understand. I rate it at 7/10 until I get the dialogue down.