Look Who's Talking (1989)

Most people remember John Travolta in his Grease days. And now he's doing stuff like Battlefield Earth and Lucky Numbers. But here's an in-between Travolta vehicle that delivers laughs steadily throughout.

Travolta plays James Ubriacco, a cab driver in New York. Kirstie Alley is Mollie, an accountant who is having an affair with a married man, Albert (George Segal), who is currently getting a divorce from his wife. Things couldn't be better...until Albert gets her pregnant.

Mollie is fine for awhile (at least as fine as a pregnant woman can be), but then she sees Albert smooching someone else, and that's when she goes into labor. James the cab driver takes her to the hospital (where a witty spoof of The Exorcist takes place) so that her baby boy, Mikey, can be born. Mikey's hilarious voice is by Bruce Willis. Actually, we just he him think, but it's still very funny.

James starts to come around more often, and eventually becomes Mikey's babysitter. The rest of the plot revolves around Mikey growing up and wondering about what it's like to have a "daddy". He wants James to be his since they spend so much time together, but Mollie goes and dates other people. It was (oh, I hate using this word in reviews) cute, charming and witty. Obviously it was predictable, but what would you expect?

I enjoyed Travolta in this role, he seemed to enjoy himself. Alley was fine, as a woman who knew what she was doing. Director Amy Heckerling has made herself known to me, and I enjoy her movies. There are a couple dry spots without laughs, but they didn't matter to me.

Rated PG-13 for language, sexual humor/content, and baby nudity.

Review Date: August 20, 2002