The B-story of the movie revolves around one of the lead characters being asked to accept a mystery package for one of his friends -- the package is revealed to be filled with baggies of heroin. When mobsters arrive at their apartment, one of the lead characters hides the heroin in the lining of the baby's diaper. Champagne, wine, and martini drinking at a birthday party -- some drunken behavior.
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Profanity regularly used throughout the movie. "Bulls--t," "s--t," "d--khead," "crap," "hell," damn," "goddamn," "for Christ's sake." Some sexual innuendo and insinuation.
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The opening scenes serve to establish that the three men are single men who have a lot of casual sex and one-night stands. The baby that shows up on their doorstep is the result of one of these flings. Sexual insinuation -- woman hints at the size of her boyfriend's penis. Dr. Ruth shown on television talking about women having orgasms.
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Some violence as the lead characters unknowingly have possession of a package of heroin. Guns pulled. Bad guys knocked over by large pipes on a construction site. Car chase.
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The entire premise of the movie rests on the assumption that women are somehow natural parents while men must learn. The bachelors sleep around; the baby (abandoned by its mother) was the product of one such fling.
Positive Role Models
very little
The three lead characters sleep around, have one-night stands; the baby is from one of these flings.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Three Men and a Baby is a 1987 movie in which three devil-may-care bachelors must learn to take care of a baby left on their doorstep. The movie opens with a montage of women arriving at and leaving the bachelor pad shared by the three main characters, with the clear implication that they're not there to deliver cookies. The bachelors sleep around, talk of the sex they've had or are having with women. The baby (abandoned by its mother) was the product of one such fling. Sexual insinuation -- woman hints at the size of her boyfriend's penis. Dr. Ruth shown on television talking about women having orgasms. In relation to a heroin-smuggling subplot, some violence regarding a drug dealer is discussed but not seen. It's implied that the heroes and baby are in danger. The entire premise of the movie rests on the assumption that women are somehow natural parents while men must learn. Some drinking and drunkenness -- especially at a party thrown in the apartment the three men share. Profanity throughout the movie including "bulls--t," "s--t," and "d--khead." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
It never ceases to amaze me how in the late 80’s after the invention of the PG-13 rating we got so many films rated PG that should have been PG-13.
With that being said here’s another example. This is a fun movie not always laugh out loud hilarious but very charming and pleasant with good performances by the actors.
However saying this is a family or PG rated film is a mistake in my honest opinion.
Like so many 80’s movies this has a lot of swearing with everything except the f word. Expect a lot of uses of hell damn GD JC and the s word.
The biggest issue I have with this film not being rated PG-13 however is for a subplot involving heroin.
I know the drug dealers are antagonists and the three guys don’t take drugs which is positive but you will see and hear references to heroin and for me that should be an automatic PG-13.
There is also discussions about sex, body parts and a scene of Tom Selleck in bed with a woman.
I don’t recall any nudity being shown in the scene but it’s not too far off and it’s a very sensual scene in general.
The three guys become good role models but are essentially bachelors who engage in lots of sex with women and while it’s off camera you definitely can tell that’s what’s going on.
For 13 and up this should be fine but the PG rating is much too soft now for this and was even in 1987 when it came out.
Suggested MPAA rating: PG-13 for language, sexual references, brief sensuality and some drug content.
Katherine R.Parent of 8, 10, 14, 18+, 18+ and 5-year-old
May 15, 2024
age 14+
What's the Story?
Three swinging bachelors deal with and learn to love an infant left on their doorstep in THREE MEN AND A BABY. A gorgeous apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side is shared by three bachelors, architect Peter (Tom Selleck), actor Jack (Ted Danson) and comic book artist Michael (Steve Guttenberg). Their world is turned upside down when they find baby Mary in a basket at their door. She has been left there for Jack by her mother, who had a fling with him a year earlier. Because Jack is out of town shooting a movie, Peter and Michael try to learn about parenting as quickly as possible. While they think they will be happy to hand the task over to Jack when he returns, they find that they have enjoyed being fathers. When Mary's mother returns to reclaim the baby, all three men are unwilling to go back to their old lives without Mary.
A huge hit when it was first released in 1987, Three Men and a Baby really doesn't get as many laughs as it should from its premise. In 1987, Selleck, Danson and Guttenberg were major stars, and familiarity with their usual personas (Danson is simply playing a variant on his character from television show Cheers) was a major factor in the film's success. But the film hasn't aged very well. The time-consuming subplot pitting the three dads against a heroin smuggling ring completely clashes with the rest of the film. Nor does Leonard Nimoy's flat direction add anything.
Parents may enjoy watching these three self-confident guys crumble when faced with the demands of childcare, and kids could laugh at their unsuccessful attempts to keep a clean diaper on baby Mary, but there are too few such moments spread out over the course of the film. Surprisingly, the sequel Three Men and a Little Lady is a bit better.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about this movie's premise. Do you think it is correct -- men must learn to parent and women are born knowing how? Did you question that assumption while watching the film? How do such assumptions and premises affect viewers' perceptions?
How does the movie's premise -- and the assumptions behind the premise -- reflect the time when the movie was released?
What do you think has changed (if anything) in the years since this movie was released in terms of parenting, sex, relationships?
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