3 Men and a Baby
Tags: comedy

Plot synopsis:
Peter Mitchell, an architect, Jack Holden, an actor, and Michael Kellam, a cartoonist, move into & remodel a Manhattan penthouse. After a large housewarming party, Jack leaves to film a movie in Turkey. Before he leaves the country, he calls his roommates and tells them that a friend of his needs a small package held at the penthouse for a few days until his associates come to pick it up.Peter returns home from jogging one morning and finds a small basket with an infant girl in it at their door. Attached is a note from a woman named Sylvia, who writes in the note that she's leaving the baby, named Mary, with Jack, the father. Peter and Michael take the baby in, assuming it's the "package" Jack's friend meant to leave. Frantic because they don't know how to care for an infant, Peter rushes to the store for supplies and Michael entertains little Mary, who won't stop crying. When their building manager, Mrs. Hathaway, arrives at their door with a small package left for the men at the desk, Michael accepts it and throws it carelessly onto the couch. Peter comes back with diapers and food and the two spend a significant amount of time changing Mary's diaper and washing her when she soils herself and their couch. Caring for Mary quickly consumes all their free time and cancels their social engagements, though they do an admirable job.A few days later two shady men arrive and ask for the "package." Michael and Peter assume they've come for the baby and hand Mary over to the men. Peter is suspicious and sits down on the couch, finding the small package Michael had thrown there. Peter realizes that it is the actual package the men were after and rushes downstairs to stop them before they drive off. In the main foyer of their building, Peter trips and the package bursts open, spilling its contents: small bags of heroin. He meets the two men on the street and tries to take Mary back, saying he made a mistake. When a mounted New York cop becomes involved, the men speed off and the cop stops Peter from retreating. The cop demands to see ID and goes upstairs with Peter. Peter gives Mary and the drug-filled parcel to Michael, ordering him to hide it. When the cop sees Peter's ID is legitimate, he leaves, however a sergeant from the narcotics squad, Melkowitz, shows up and questions them both. Meanwhile, Michael has successfully stashed the heroin in Mary's diaper and has buried it with the other dirty diapers in the bathroom.Peter appeals to his long-term girlfriend, Rebecca, to help him take care of Mary, but she refuses. One day Peter and Michael have Mrs. Hathaway babysit Mary and when they return home they find her tied up and the place ransacked. Mary is found crying, but unharmed in a closet. In the middle of the night Jack (whose part in the film in Turkey was suddenly cut) returns and is nearly beaten up by both Peter and Michael, who think he may have broken in. They tell him about Mary and the drugs that his friend laid on them. Jack remembers that he'd acted in Stratford, England, in a production of The Taming of the Shrew, and had slept with Sylvia, however he wasn't aware that she'd become pregnant. Michael and Peter, angry at having to give up their free time and social lives solely because of Jack's irresponsibility, give Mary to Jack to care for, refusing to help him. Jack appeals to his own mother, who tells him that his life as a womanizer has finally caught up with him, and she refuses to help him as well.Realizing they're caught between violent drug dealers and Moskowitz' narcotics squad staking them out, the guys figure out a way to escape the mess they're in: Jack will sneak out of the apartment dressed as a pregnant woman (with Mary hidden under his dress) and Peter and Michael will go to a designated place to hand off the drugs to the dealers. The police follow Michael and Peter but lose them when Jack picks them up in a taxi and heads off in the opposite direction. The meeting place is a construction zone for a skyscraper Peter had designed; Peter will hand off the drugs, Michael will film it on a video camera and Jack will trap the dealers in the elevator after they receive their package. Peter stalls a bit, getting the dealers to admit their culpability just as Michael, hiding in an aluminum vent cover, slips and falls. Michael and Peter make it to the elevator and begin to escape, however Jack throws the wrong switch, trapping them. The dealers descend in a second elevator but are trapped when Jack finds the right switch. Melkowitz and his squad arrive and arrest the dealers, taking the tape Michael had made for evidence.Free and clear, the roommates take care of Mary for a few more months, working out a schedule beneficial to them all. One day Mary's mother, Sylvia, arrives; she has worked out a way to take Mary back to England and care for her while living with her parents. The guys are very upset at the new development, having grown attached to the baby. Sylvia leaves for the airport and the guys chase after her, arriving too late to stop the plane as it leaves. They return to their penthouse and find Sylvia & Mary at the door, who says she couldn't leave. The three men agree to let Sylvia move in with them.

Review: The plot may be pretty unrealistic, the ending kooky & unbelievable, and don't get your morals from it, but all in all...it's great fun to watch.The story revolves around three carefree bachelors (Peter, Michael, and Jack) who share a New York City apartment.
While actor Jack is away shooting a movie, a baby is left outside their apartment door with a note indicating that this is Jack's child from an affair with his co star (though he's previously been unaware of this offspring's existence).
Then the bachelors have to contend with the baby's care as well as the drug dealers' demands for payment.The three bachelors are played by famous name stars...Tom Sellick (Peter, the architect), Steve Guttenberg (Michael, the artist), and Ted Danson (Jack, the actor).
The men's paternal instincts come into play and the bachelors grow quite attached to the little tyke.Directed by Leonard Nimoy (Spock, my favourite), this is a generally light, mindless, and entertaining movie that shows how these three 'hunks' & confirmed bachelors are won over by little baby Mary.
"3 Men and a Baby" is a comedy that's cute and funny.
Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson star as three bachelors who live together, and who's lives are changed forever when on one particular day a baby infant is left on their doorstep.
Plenty of wonderful comedy scenes throughout as the three stars go through the frustrations of having to deal with this infant girl in the early stages, then the baby eventually starts to win them over.
Three bachelors have their lives flipped upside down when little baby Mary is left on their doorstep.A remake of successful 1985 French film Three Men And A Cradle, this Hollywood version took the box office by storm to make a domestic profit of over $155,000,000.
Starring Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg as the "no parenting skills" bachelors, Leonard Nimoy's film , (yes, Spock) sees quality interplay between the guys and some bona fide funny sequences as they in turn attempt to do right by Mary.
Yep it's all telegraphed comedy, and the ending holds no surprises for anyone once Nancy Travis as Mary's mother comes back to claim the child.
But come on folks, three beefy bachelors trying to change diapers and entertain a wailing baby has to be charming; surely?
"Three Men and a Baby" is one of those movies like "Ghostbusters" that you enjoy in spite of the fact that you realize that they are only made for money and are otherwise empty.
This time, only a few of the jokes made me laugh such as the drug hiding jokes, the scenes of the three roomies being obviously outside of their element with the baby and that masterpiece of a scene where Tom Selleck tells off the pompous Hungarian celloist (I always loved that one).
Otherwise, the only other entertainment value is provided by the "goofball with a heart of gold" appeal of the three lead actors and a cute little baby for the more sentimental viewers.
Three men and a baby is a good example of a feel-good comedy/drama.
The cast is big named with stars like Steve Guttenburg, Tom Selleck, and Ted Danson as three bachelors living in an apartment (with a ghost) who gets a baby at their doorstep.
Leonard Nimoy aka Spock directs this and it is good.Overall the movie is a good feel-good comedy and I enjoyed it.
The cast is first rate with Tom Selleck, Ted Danson, and Steve Gutenberg as the three fathers and Nancy Travis as British Sylvia.
Ted Danson, Steve Guttenberg and Tom Selleck made this show their own.
Yes, if we are to believe this movie men who do not have a female present have absolutely no idea how to raise a baby are do anything.
If this is the case then you can easily title this movie Three women and a baby as they would be just as lost in that scenario as a guy would be, but for some reason people think women just magically know what to do and men are idiots when it comes to children.
The three idiots in question here are Tom Selleck and Ted Danson, known mainly for television work and Steve Guttenberg known mainly for being really lucky to have a Hollywood career.
In the end, this film is like a long list of crappy films that have babies and idiots raising them and for me it was not very good.
I like Ted Danson, but he is basically doing his Sam Malone here, in fact in every movie he was in during this era he was usually in Sam Malone character.
However, he is the best thing in the movie and has the funniest moments while Selleck and Guttenberg play lame clueless idiots..
Ted Danson, Tom Selleck, and Steve Guttenberg star in this light- hearted comedy about how 3 New York bachelors receive a big change in their lives after finding a baby on their doorstep.
But with good measure, a drug- smuggling subplot is thrown in (probably to make it not look like your a typical family-oriented comedy).
The same goes for the cute little baby Mary, and agood direction from an unlikely director, Leonard "Mr. Spock" Nimoy himself!.
Peter Mitchell (Tom Selleck), Jack Holden (Ted Danson), and Michael Kellam (Steve Guttenberg) are three carefree bachelors, living out their lives as room mates in a trendy New York apartment.They shoot pool, drink, party, date as many girls as they want, and live the life most men can only dream of.But that all changes one sunny morning, when a baby named Mary is dropped on their doorstep, with a note from her mother addressed to Jack (he's the father), saying she can no longer take care of the infant, and he will have to do that from now on.It just so happens that Jack is out of town shooting a movie, and it's up to Peter and Michael to take care of the frightened baby...which they have no clue how to do.And to make things worse, Jack has gotten himself involved with a drug dealer thanks to his less than honest agent, and a package of heroine is delivered to the apartment, which ultimately puts everybody (including Mary) in danger.Ironically, it is this disaster which ultimately warms the the bachelors hearts towards the child, in spite of how anxious they are to get back to their normal routine.But when her mother, Sylvia Bennington (Nancy Travis) decides she can't live without her daughter, and is going to raise her after all, the three men realize they can't go back to their former lives.Endearing, and very funny, this movie is refreshing in the wholesome values it embraces.One feels better about the world after watching it.Originally, Review #152Posted On:
It's basically Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson, and Tom Selleck in an apartment looking after a baby.You can guess the easy, laid back nature of the film in this film and it really is an easy viewing experience.
The three main actors are all charismatic and you can easily see why women would fall in love with them, although it's worth noting that the baby is the real scene stealer here.THREE MEN AND A BABY frequently threatens to veer into cheesy sentimentality, particularly at the climax, but that it never becomes too overwhelming is testament to its success as a film..
Having only watched this movie once when it first came out, i decided to go into it with an open mind as its quite an old film, and i couldn't remember much about it, it was very funny but also at times a little daft, i didn't see the logic in bringing in the hole drug smuggling story line it did put a damper on things and ruined the story just a little, but all in all a really funny film with hilarious lines, and the 80s humour still sounds good today..
The movie was good, I loved the plot and I thought that Steve Guttenberg was not just taking up space, after all he was the artist (I'm an artist).
In the scene where Jack's mother visits the baby for the first time, there is a boy behind the drapes staring straight at the camera.
Fortunately the three bachelors are played by famous name stars in Tom Sellick (Peter, the architect), Steve Guttenberg (Michael, the artist) and Ted Danson (Jack, the actor).
We walked out of the theater and laughed about it saying how we couldn't believe that they missed this "goof" letting a kid on stage or something.Fast forward two years and everyone is talking about a ghost in the movie.
Or its seeing three bumbling guys trying to take care of one baby and I have always taken care of my all 4 of my children, a lot of times on my own.
but I could watch "3 Men and a Baby" a million times and STILL laugh at the funny bits, and cry at the sad or "mushy" bits.
The characters HAD to be played by Selleck, Guttenberg and Danson, simply because they're recognisable from their Magnum, Cadet Mahoney and Sam Malone roles (respectively), all of whom (incidentally) are synonymous with the "macho, womanising bachelor" lifestyle - THAT'S what make 'em believable here, and thus makes the film work so well.
Like my erstwhile colleague observed, you could well believe that Selleck was about to pull out a grand any minute to avoid changing nappies.I'm a fan of a GOOD Euro-to-UK/US-remake; since I have no real-world knowledge of world languages nor their dialects, I often have to resort to reading the subtitles on foreign films, which detracts and distracts from the action on screen, such as facial expressions, body language, etc.
After doubting my friends Brian and AJ for quite some time, we sat down and watched Three Men and a Baby.
This may be "Three" men, but it's really Tom Selleck's movie.
It could have been an interesting comedy about three men who have no idea what to do with a baby.
It's been quite a few years since I've seen 3 Men and A Baby (which was supposedly based on a French film), and I don't remember the ghost scene.
3 Men and a Baby (1987) *** (out of 4) Remake of a French movie about three bachelors (Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson) whose lives are turned upside down when one of their former lovers drops off a baby girl at their door.
Soon the three men have to put their lives on hold while they try and figure out the way to take care of a baby.
I know this happened in the original movie but when you're dealing with laughs and charm some of this stuff just goes over-the-top and all the time spent on it just takes away from the men and the baby.
Selleck, Guttenberg and Danson all have their own style of comedy and the film greatly benefits when they're allowed to just do their thing.
Twin girls were used for the part of the baby and even though they didn't have to "act", the child is so cute and adorable you can't help but fall in love with her just as the three men are doing in the movie.
I was actually surprised at how much I liked 3 Men and a Baby.
No matter how simple this story is it is effective too.Leonard Nimoy's direction adeptly keeps the entertainment and comedy afloat and it comes thick and fast, while the script has plenty of funny and engaging moments.
The acting I had little problem with either, Ted Danson, Steve Guttenberg and Tom Selleck show great chemistry together and deliver great performances individually as each of their characters get increasingly harassed while adapting to changing, feeding and burping duties, and the baby was very cute.All in all, very enjoyable and fun.
I mean, it aired regularly on many channels and to be honest, it's a funny but naive movie that had a premise that was very popular at the time; making a baby or infant being the center of the plot.Tom Selleck is great as always and delivers a fine comedic performance.
Since we're on the topic of cardboard, Ted Dansons character on a cutout can be seen twice, once by the window, and another time when the apartment gets destroyed.About the movie, it's funny, it's probably my favorite movie, when i watch it i just cover my eyes when that freaking cardboard piece-of-crap jumps out at me.
THREE MEN AND A BABY has bad acting (anything with Guttenburg you know's going to stink to high heaven), bad screenplay, and not so funny humor.
"Three Men and a Baby" is a fine comedy about three bachelors who are forced to take care of an abandoned baby that was left on their doorstep.
But Selleck, Guttenburg, and Danson earn their laughs (although I fould the latter just a tad stiff) and after cherubic baby Mary enters their lives, they earn our hearts.
During the middle of the film after the drug dealers have tied up the babysitter, trashed the apartment looking for the heroin, and left the baby in a closet with threats to return, when Selleck finds the baby and says, "Nobody is going to hurt you, nobody is going to hurt you", despite the unsavory drug plot, the movie grabs you in its caring but firm embrace.
"Three Men and a Baby" demonstrates that the simple love of an adult for an infant is enough for a compelling story and will more than compensate for an awkwardly shoe-horned subplot and even Danson's (Mary's biological father's) negligence.There's a vital place on this planet for "feel-good" movies like "Three Men and a Baby"..
Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson, Nancy Travis and Margaret Colin star in this 1987 comedy.
This tells about New York architect, Peter (Selleck) and his 2 roommates, Michael (Guttenberg), an artist and Jack (Danson), an actor who are all bachelors.
Soon, a baby girl, Mary arrives on their doorstep while Jack is away shooting a film.
Let's get this baby into production."Its times like this I fear for the future of film-making if this is the best they can churn out.
3 Men and a Baby is one of the most overrated comedies ever to hit cinemas.
A much better baby film of 1987 was the superb Coen comedy Raising Arizona.
Now that was a comedy classic!I'm hard-pressed to think of a single thing about the film that does work.
I think everyone (including Selleck) was expecting 3 Men and a Baby to be the film that would launch his movie career.
Despite numerous TV appearances and the occasional film role, Tom Selleck has almost completely vanished from the Hollywood circuit.The same goes for Steve Guttenberg, even more so.
Usually of the Christmas kind.Ted Danson is the only one to have had any kind of career beyond 3 Men and a Baby.
But the film doesn't give him much of a chance to show off his considerable talent for comedy since it sidelines him for most of it.3 Men and a Baby is miscalculated on all counts.
Until last night if someone had asked me about Three Men and A Baby, I would have said...oh great movie, classic eighties I loved it!
Success, gluttony (but in a good way), free love, spirit, bright bold and sassy with a touch of gaudiness and you will see all of that in Three Men and a Baby.
It also is unique in the fact that it really isn't a family film, it really was geared to adults making it a unique comedy in that way.I could start with any of the main three guys but I will start with my favourite, the unbeatable Mr. Tom Selleck.
I happen to think that he gets downplayed because of Selleck and Ted Danson but he is still a welcome member of the cast and has great comedic timing.
The movie is fun and light, cute and weepy at times but it just hits the right chords.
Basically bachelors Peter 'Pete' Mitchell (Magnum, P.I.'s Tom Selleck), Michael 'Mike' Kellam (Police Academy's Steve Guttenberg) and Jack Holden (Cheers' Ted Danson) share an apartment in Manhattan.
Actor Jack goes away to film in Turkey, and Pete and Mike find a baby, Mary (twins Lisa and Michelle Blair), left on their doorstep, with a note that it's Jack's from a woman named Sylvia.
After thwarting the gangster bust that Jack is involved in, the three men spend more time with baby Mary (shown in a montage).
Selleck, Guttenberg and Danson each get their equal amount of laughs, the baby situations they encounter are all both adorable and funny, the drug dealing plot perhaps slows things, but overall it is a charming and great comedy that may get men thinking twice about having kids.
The scene never cuts away and the boy is better viewed when to the right of Jack and his mother, not the left as the pictures I've seen depict.
"Three men and a baby" is very much a product of its time.
I mean Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg are all funny in their own right and I figured the three together would be really funny.
Accurately funny comedy about two swinging bachelors who are left stranded with a little baby girl which they are forced to look after.Leonard Nimoy's film (based on the French hit "Three Men and a Cradle") is spot on with its humour as it details the misadventures of the two men as they struggle to feed, wash and contain the noisy child.
Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson are a good team and the subplot fills in time quite nicely.When it starts to get sentimental, the film does weaken a little, however for the most part this is a comedy worth your while.