Maybe Baby [DVD]

Lucy (Joely Richardson) and Sam (Hugh Laurie) are a married couple desperate to conceive a baby. Very desperate. And the film follows their every step from obsessive monitoring of ovulation dates to fertility treatment. Lucy keeps a diary in which she records every detail of her day, Sam writes a script for a film - with pretty much identical content. Complications ensue. Laurie shines, especially in the funnier scenes, Richardson made me laugh as she tries to ride her scooter without uncrossing her legs.The supporting cast includes such greats a Emma Thompson as the demented hippie witch Druscilla (hilarious), Tom Hollander as a despotic Scottish film director (equally hilarious), Rowan Atkinson as Lucy's gynaecologist (you don't need me to tell you that he is hilarious), Dawn French as babbling nurse in the fertility clinic (yes, she too is... well, you know what I was going to say), Matthew Macfadyen as Sam's overbearing boss (ridiculous with horrible dyed blond hair) and Joanna Lumley as Lucy's employer (delicious). Of course, as is often the case with such an all star supporting cast, most of them don't have quite as much screen time as you'd hope and their appearances amount to little more than cameos. Also worth mentioning is the rather nice title song "Maybe Baby" performed by Paul McCartney. Oh, and William, the wonderful basset hound.The film as a whole is a bit disjointed, it doesn't quite seem to know what it wants to be - a sweet romantic comedy or a brash sexy one. With numerous transitionless cuts between scenes it feels like a sitcom on steriods. However, the cast includes so many accomplished comedians that the whole thing is good fun. I really enjoyed it, but it's decidedly not for everybody. Anybody not comfortable with the topic of sex and conception will be well advised to stay away from this.The DVD has English subtitles for those who may need them. The film is presented in a 4 : 3 letterbox format which is less than perfect for a modern widescreen TV. It leaves you with broad black edges on all four sides of the screen and if you use the zoom funtion, the picture quality suffers noticeably. Also included are the following extra features: - Feature Commentary with writer/director Ben Elton and Hugh Laurie - Cast and Crew Interviews - Theatrical Trailer

Great film but picture quality was poor.

Great film, a true classic. Very funny but thought provoking at the same time.

Having read Inconceivable by Ben Elton I was expecting this film to be great. It wasn't. The book was funny, insightful and entertaining but sadly this did not translate well into a film.Considering the big name actors in the film, I was also expecting good things, but somehow the acting was appalling - particularly Joely Richardson, who is wooden, fake and delivers lines like she is patronizing everyone she meets. Unfortunately she completely fails to demonstrate the pain, heartache and anguish of going through infertility and treatment and even the comedy lines are lost in the delivery.

Great fun but also quite sensitive in places considering the subject matter. Thoroughly enjoyed by all ages. First seen at cinema some years ago and did not disappoint second time round. -wife

Bought as gift. Exactly as wanted

Not as funny as the book, I was a bit disappointed in it. The book made me laugh out loud many times, this one just made me smile.

Follows the book well. Good film