Baby Movies

The Best:

Rosemary's Baby - The greatest movie about having a child.

Ladybird, Ladybird - Ken Loach's wrenching movie about a woman trying to keep her children from being taken from her by the welfare system.

Raising Arizona - The best use of babies for comedy.

Father's Little Dividend - Sappy, but still charming sequel to the original "Father of the Bride"

Brats - Laurel and Hardy are put in charge of babysitting their children who are played, to creepy effect, by Laurel and Hardy.

The Worst:

Baby Geniuses - What was Kathleen Tuner doing in this movie that went crazy with the CGI ability to make babies look like they're talking?

Looking Who's Looking Too - The first one was actually not that bad. I swear. But really, there was no need, let alone a plot for a sequel. Except for a fiscal need by the studio.

Baby Boom - A woman doesn't realize how empty her sad, corporate, urban world is until she inherits a kid and moves to the country. Blech.

Golden Child - Eddie Murphy must protect a child who is possibly the chosen one. An impossible muddle of action and comedy.

Parenthood - Steve Martin's first role as a family man. It was so sad to see such a funny man reduced to being so bland.

And a few great scenes:

Local Hero - Peter Riegert is having a nice conversation with the Scottish locals in this film from the eighties that I still love. He innocently makes a comment about a baby sitting in the stroller and the locals react strangely. It's my favorite scene in the film.

Hannah and Her Sisters - The last scene of this movie contains the sweetest moment of a woman telling her husband that she is pregnant. It's making me tear up just thinking about it...I'm a sap.

I liked both Baby Boom & Parenthood. Both had a certain charm. The furniture in Baby Boom did not distract me from Diane Keaton's winning performance.

(I also liked Nine Months which was discussed on the radio. But then I'm a huge Julianne Moore fan.)

I was a bit surprised that both Rosemary's Baby (which I loved) & Father's Little Dividend made your list.

IMHO Father's Little Dividend was so sacharine the FDA should have banned it.

Having no children I must confess the first films that came to my mind were more 'Babies in Peril" scenes such as the brilliant maternity ward shootout in Hard Boiled & the Battleship Potemkin.

I agree with the caller on the radio who mentioned Small Change (although I didn't like the treacly ending).

But I considered Small Change to be more of a young kid film rather than a "baby" film, much like the excellent Children of Heaven.

Please post some of the comments that were discussed between the crowd and the MMaven today at the fair.

Or a transcript or what was the movie about Maggie from 1960's?

Thx,
Scott

how about...kindergarten cop...terrible but a classic govinator moment.

Detective John Kimble: I Have a headache.
Lowell: It might be a tumor.
Detective John Kimble: It's not a tumor!

kids & tumors...now that's comedy gold! but not really about babies...i guess there's always the movie Junior with pregnant arnie. "My body. *My* choice!"

What about "Jack-Jack Attack", the bonus feature to the DVD of the Incredibles? Could there be anything worse than babysitting the 8 month old child of superheros who just discovered he has laser vision?

The best baby movie I've ever seen is "The Snapper". Even though the baby only has a small role at the very end of the film, it's still great to watch this Irish family as they go through the ups and downs of the oldest daughter's unexpected pregnancy. I wish it would come out on DVD.