Baby's Day Out - A Movie Review

Baby Bink is going to have the best day ever.

Crawling into theaters in 1994, Baby’s Day Out is about three men kidnapping a baby from a wealthy family. The men don’t anticipate the insane cartoonish antics that transpire during the day as the baby gets away.

Baby’s Day Out is an underrated comedy. I was rolling on the ground laughing the first time I watched this film. Most audiences (and reviewers) are not fond of this film for its cartoonish tone. Don’t take this film seriously. Baby’s Day Out deserves more recognition for its unique direction.

Joe Mantegna, Joe Panteliano, and Brian Haley are why this film works. Putting up with cartoonish shenanigans, they took this zany film seriously. The trio tends to imitate The Three Stooges with slapstick humor. Aside from that, I loved watching their interactions as they bickered over the fact that a baby puts them through the cleaners.

Baby Bink is adorable! I was impressed with how well the filmmakers got the baby actors to respond. Adam Robert Worton and Jacob Joseph Worton shared the role of Bink. Bink is enjoying his day as he crawls all over the big city. He’s an adventurous baby.

Don’t worry, the baby actors didn’t do all the stunts. Uncredited but merits praise is the late Verne Troyer. He filled in for some stunt work. Recently, I watched a behind-the-scenes video on how filmmakers achieved most shots using a mechanical baby. Rick Baker programmed animatronic effects like a mechanical gorilla. I never suspected it!

The cast of Baby’s Day Out earns more credit. The film is a character film. Lara Flynn Boyle doesn’t get enough acclaim for her role. Sad to have lost her baby, Laraine Cotwell also has an eye-opening day. While in search of her child, she experiences the lives of people who are less fortunate than her.

Every role is memorable. Some credits include Cynthia Nixon, Fred Thompson, Matthew Glave, and several minor parts. One of my favorite minor roles is the late Robin Baber. Having enough of the goons insulting her about her weight, she teaches them a lesson they’ll never forget. There’s also a brief appearance by the late Eddie Bracken.

From a gorilla beating up the kidnappers to crawling around the top floors of a construction building until setting a particular body region on fire, Baby’s Day Out is a crazy film! It’s reminiscent of a cartoon. I wouldn’t change it. The live-action poses as an experiment and as something different.

I liked this movie so much the first time I watched it that I decided to see it twice a day! When I saw it playing on TV, I’d watch it. My family and I were laughing loudly at most of the scenes, particularly at the scene in the park.

The film is overly silly. I know what you’re thinking: how could a city of people ignore a baby crawling under their noses? Movies distract us from reality. Baby’s Day Out is something different. The story gets too chaotic by the end when the men haphazardly follow the baby into a construction site where tons of slapstick happens.

Looking back on his direction of the film, Patrick Read Johnson claims that he focused too much on the baby actors than on the script. Johnson did a great job with the film, applying humor, character studies, and working in clever subtleties.

Baby's Day Out is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I suggest you give it a chance. You never know that you may also find yourself on the ground laughing.