Baby's Day Out (1994) User Reviews

Hilarious

[TheEtherWalk · 7/10 · 26 November 2002]

This movie is incredibly underrated. It has some of the funniest scenes I have ever seen. The park roshambo comes to mind. "THAT'S how you put out camp fires!" I had never laughed so hard in my life (until i saw Austin Powers 2)! Don't take it too seriously and just enjoy it, people. 7/10

Drink your bottle of milk and enjoy this predictable film.

[emm · 6/10 · 13 January 1999]

If you remember that old TOM & JERRY cartoon about a baby who crawls out of home and onto the skyscraper, then chances are you know what to expect in BABY'S DAY OUT. After all, somebody finally had a way to translate a familiar and risky situation to the big screen, which is fine and dandy, tried and true. However, it duplicates itself as a hybrid of HOME ALONE all the way, as we've gotten used to booby traps, pitfalls, and other obstacles before. For a comedy, the cartoonish acting fits well for a movie that makes complete idiots suck on a patsy. The tiny toddler provides us a good time with his sense of wit and bravery in outsmarting the crooks and on his long journey back home. Not as bad as some people believed, but a lot of what's going on here is way too predictable. It's amazing why this one bombed the box office!

It's childishly crude but very funny if you're in the mood!

[bob the moo · 26 February 2002]

Despite being the heir to a small fortune Baby Bink has never had his picture in the paper like other rich babies. However his mother hires a famous photographer to take his picture. However when the photographers arrive they are actually kidnappers who steal away baby Bink and demand a ransom. However Baby Bink manages to slip out of their sight and begins a journey through the city of his story book. The kidnappers try to catch him but seem to be always one step behind.

John Hughes won't be remembered in the same way as ‘great' filmmakers will be - but like it or not, he knows how to do this type of film with his eyes closed. This never gets above the same cartoon humour of Home Alone, but it still manages to be very funny. The story is daft - the baby going through the city by recognising things from his story book, however the cartoon humour is very good throughout. Some scenes (with the worried mother) and the ending can't help but lapse into sentiment, but for the most part it's sheer comedy antics.

The reason the comedy works is not due to the baby - he is cute but he never dominates the way Mulcaly Culkin did, instead he haplessly crawls his way around using `baby luck'. What makes it work are three really funny performances from the kidnappers. One of my favourite actors Joe Mantegna is usually above this type of stuff, but he's really funny here. Similarly Joe Pantoliano has been in his share of blockbusters and is funny here with Haley. The support cast has it's fair share of famous faces - Boyle is lumbered with all the emotional scenes and Matthew Glave (The Wedding Singer) doesn't have much to do. An uncredited Mike Starr as an informant, Fred Dalton Thompson as the cop, Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) as the nanny and Anna Levine (Bad Boys, Unforgiven, The Crow) as an understanding mother make interesting appearances. However when the kidnappers are off the screen things aren't as good and start to drag.

Overall you know what to expect from this. If you're in the mood for Tom & Jerry style cartoon humour (as opposed to Jerry & Tom humour - Mantegna fans will understand!) then this is a really good laugh. Simple, unmemorable but fun!

The truly innocent

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 20 October 2019]

With no small inspiration from Home Alone, John Hughes did the same kind of film involving an infant. Lara Flynn Boyle's and Matthew Glave's baby, a society child gets himself kidnapped by Brian Haley, Joe Mantegna, and Joe Pantoliano and ransom demands are made.

But these three make the two chasing MacCauley Culkin in his films look like Professor Moriarty. This crawling infant leads them on a merry chase as the kidnappers lose their kid through the city traffic, the city zoo, and a most dangerous construction site.

The kid is just the right age. Able to crawl pretty good yet hasn't developed a sense of fear. The truly innocent.

Best scenes in the film are with the gorilla as the infant bonds with the simian and the gorilla protects him from the danger of the kidnappers.

Nice family entertainment.

A very cute movie

[horsegoggles · 7/10 · 19 August 2008]

"The kids in the gorilla cage". The three stooges are alive and well. Three goof balls abduct a toddler and the fun begins. In a world where nobody but three persons of limited IQ have peripheral vision, this could happen. You would also have to suspend some of the laws of physics, such as; a broom handle used as a lever to catapult a 200 pound man 20 feet into the air, a cigarette lighter that takes 5 minutes to burn through a man's pants, all the while inflicting horrifying pain to the nether regions, and people surviving several 40 foot falls in one day with only minor aches and pains. If you love cute little kids, can suspend any sense of reality, and enjoy silly slapstick humor, you will love this movie. "Radio Rogers, tell him we're going back to the tick-tock to get the boo boo".

Terrific piece of post modernism

[gjh29 · 7/10 · 30 December 2005]

There seems little point in regurgitating the plot line as it is both basic to the point of invisibility and a rehash of the dreary Home Alone series. The film is a cartoon devoid of the moralising one would expect in a children's film, concerned as it most obviously is so, with the fundamental laws of cause and effect (pretend you are a banana, be prepared to be attacked by a hungry gorilla). Even the baby is more aware of these universal principles than the villains, who spend the entirety of the film being assaulted by inanimate objects in the same manner as Wylie E Coyote. Like the aforementioned canine, the criminal's inherent badness and the nefariousness of their motives dictate their failure, no matter what form their actions may take. The two standout scenes are the fiery groin number (see choice dialogue above) and the zoo based action. Like much of the film (a 'tissue of quotations' indeed), the ending, set on a building site, borrows entirely from elements of popular culture, including the Donkey Kong video game and the Donald Duck cartoon 'The Riveter'. It would be a stern hearted viewer indeed who could not see the funny side of someone bad being whacked in the face by a falling hammer

It made by daughter laugh....as well it should.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 17 November 2018]

This story is about three idiot criminals who kidnap an adorable baby. However, the baby turns out to be smarter than them and again and again, it manages to not only get the upper hand but horribly hurt them in the process.

"Baby's Day Out" was a HUGE money-loser...and it's sad, as it was a clever and funny film. In so many ways, it was like "Home Alone" but with a baby instead of McCauley Culkin...combined with huge amounts of Sweetpea from Popeye cartoons. I only saw the movie because the studio was giving out free passes...desperately hoping the film would gain traction, which it didn't.

When we went to this free showing, we took my daughter...who wasn't quite 4. And, I was so glad we did because she spent much of the film laughing so loudly everyone around us laughed....it was the perfect film for small kids. But I also had a great time because although the movie was about a tiny baby evading some idiot criminals, it also managed to be very funny and well constructed. Overall, a terribly underrated film that manages to entertain everyone in the family.

Cartoon movie!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 6 June 2017]

Strangely this movie wasn't released in Brazil until now even had been a strong success, aired a lot of times in every TV's channel and also cable TV, the movie comes from the famous cartoon Coyote and Road Runner premise, well adapted by Hughes this picture has consistent performance by the baby Bink and power trio of Stooges in a stunning acting by Mantegna, Pantoliano and Haley who are defeated by the baby, amusing all time this movie are drive to all audiences and delivery every inch in laughs, this original plot has to be enhanced, watchable and remarkable movie!!

Resume:

First watched: 2006 / How many: 3 / Source: Cable TV-DVD-Netflix / Rating: 7.5

Oh, "Baby"!

[Mister-6 · 8/10 · 15 December 2001]

Dumb laughs are easy to come by. Dumb characters are even easier. But when you get a movie that is so endearingly, goofily dumb as "Baby's day Out", you can't help but love it!

The plot is straight out of Cartoon Land, with a low bow in the Three Stooges' direction compliments of scripter John Hughes (surprise!). Three of the dimmest kidnappers in history (Mantegna, Pantoliano and Haley) make the mistake of kidnapping a rich couple's little baby, who turns out to be far more resourceful than all three of them combined. And a lot more ruthless.

During the course of the day, baby Bink (Warton and Warton) leads the dumb bad guys throughout the width and breadth of Chicago and leaves them all bruised, beaten, burnt, plummeted from innumerable high drops and otherwise humiliated ("we've had the living hell torn out of us by a baby," screams Mantegna at one point). And all the while, we're laughing.

I saw this in the theatre when it first came out and, I must admit, the entire packed-in audience was laughing hysterically at every single pratfall, gag and slapstick business that occurred. I love this kind of movie and seeing the great Joe Mantegna take his lumps so valiantly brings a smile in itself.

It's nice to play dumb once in a while. And even nicer to witness it.

Eight stars for "Baby's Day Out". If you like such laughs, it'll make your "Day".

John Hughes' Baby's Day Out provided plenty of slapstick laughs

[tavm · 7/10 · 14 May 2012]

Watched this John Hughes movie with my mom on Mother's Day. It's about a baby who's kidnapped by dumb thugs played by Joe Pantoliano and Joe Mantegna. It also had Lara Flynn Boyle as the worried mother and Cynthia Nixon as the English nanny. Lots of quite funny stunts permeate the film with perhaps the most outrageous being when Mantegna gets fire on his...well, watch the film. This came a few years after Hughes' Home Alone which I remember highly enjoying when that one came out. Baby's Day Out wasn't as hilarious to me but I had laughed plenty while watching. So on that note, this is recommended for anyone in the mood for an outrageous slapstick comedy. P.S. When Neil Flynn showed up as a cop, I immediately said to Mom, "Hey, it's that guy from 'The Middle'" though I knew him before that as Janitor on "Scrubs".

They actually spent money on this?

[ZED-30 · 1/10 · 3 September 1999]

I cannot believe that they would actually make a movie this bad. I'm no movie expert (at least probably not by the standards of some of you that will read this), but this movie was horrible. It was a two hour version of that Popeye cartoon where Sweet-Pea was crawling around a construction site. And what was Joe Mantegna thinking when he signed on for this movie? Surely business wasn't that slow. Not that I don't like physical comedy, but this cartoonish type of comedy only worked for three people in movies: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, and Peter Sellers.

Cute, friendly, and smelly diapers.

[Angel-93 · 25 April 1999]

Great film in my opinion. Baby Bink is unbelieveably cute. With his dimples, playfulness, and giggle, it is hard to believe why it bombed. I think it deserves major props for being kid-friendly, instead of the hard-core things people are used to seeing. It is great for all- ages, a 10 out of 10, spectacular!

Probably one of John Hughes' better post Home Alone comedies and definitely one of the better baby-centric films.

[IonicBreezeMachine · 6/10 · 14 March 2023]

Bennington Austin Cotwell IV also known as "Baby Bink" (Adam Robert Worton and Jacob Joseph Worton) is the infant son wealthy Chicago couple Laraine and Beington Austin Cotwell III (Lara Flynn Boyle and Matthew Glave respectively). As the two arrange to have their son photographed for a picture in the newspaper, the photographers are hijacked by criminal trio Eddie (Joe Mantegna), Norby (Joe Pantoliano), and Veeko (Brian Haley) who pose as the photographers in order to get close to Bink and ransom him back to the Cotwells. After successfully kidnapping Bink the trio await the ransom drop scheduled for midnight, but when Norby falls asleep while putting Bink down for a nap, Bink sees a pair of birds which reminds him of his favorite picture book and wanders off from the three crooks to various places around the city as the three inept crooks unsuccessfully try to reacquire Bink only to be met with slapstick punishment.

Baby's Day Out is a 1994 slapstick comedy from prolific writer/producer John Hughes who with the success of 1990s Home Alone refocused himself more towards broad family comedies finding success with the likes of Beethoven, Dennis the Menace, and Home Alone 2 albeit not quite to the level of Home Alone. During the mid 90s Hughes had workshopped a number of ideas at Fox which were designed with increasingly little dialogue exchanges and more on action and slapstick with Baby's Day Out along with unmade pitch The Bee experiments by Hughes in producing comedy films with protagonists who didn't speak much (if at all). Director Patrick Read Johnson had experienced decent success with his debut film Spaced Invaders and on the basis of that film was contacted by Hughes who invited him to read the pitch for Baby's Day Out. As Johnson was an expectant father he gravitated towards the idea of working with babies and agreed to direct. Produced in Chicago the film budgeted $50 million (though brought in at $48 million) was a massive undertaking requiring the construction of several large sets (some reportedly give stories high) and a large amount of time needed to get the appropriate reactions from the twins playing Bink (according to director Johnson, there's supposedly footage of him several feet off the ground in a cherrypicker holding an Elmo doll and doing an impression that was but one of many instances of him trying to get the proper reaction). Despite the pedigree of John Hughes and its position as a major Summer release, Baby's Day Out opened at number 8 at the box office as Disney's The Lion King continued to dominate cinemas and no doubt diverted many of the film's potential audience. Critical reception was skewed negative with some exceptions such as Gene Siskel and Hal Hinson enjoying the film, with many critics lamenting the film as another retread of the Hughes formula. Following the failure of Baby's Day Out and another 1994 Hughes film the remake of Miracle on 34th Street, Hughes would set up shop at Disney which would churn out other Hughes' comedy product. Upon reflection, the movie does have a certain charm to it and it's better than its reputation would suggest.

While movies centered around Baby characters have a...mixed reputation for lack of a better word ranging from the inoffensive mediocrity of the first Look Who's Talking film to the aggressively annoying or borderline disturbing Look Who's Talking sequels or Baby Geniuses movies, what makes Baby's Day Out work is in its simplicity, While the movie follows Baby Bink around as the "main character", Bink doesn't speak aside from babbles and giggles and is more of a chaos agent in the script that a source of wisecracks or one liners which works much better with the slapstick focus of the film. The three crooks played by Joe Mantegna, Joe Pantoliano, and Brian Haley are basically the three stooges by way of Looney Tunes' Rocky and Mugsy and much like Home Alone this movie is another refresh of the O. Henry short story "The Ransom of Red Chief" wherein crooks' attempt at a kidnapping yields punishment by the one they kidnapped, but at least there is a decent amount of difference between the take in Home Alone vs. Baby's Day Out. As the movie is primarily a showcase for slapstick shenanigans, it largely succeeds thanks to Johnson's precision sense of timing and pacing that allows the gags to be funny as well as the commitment from the three crooks who have solid reactions and timing with one another. The movie does have issues such as being a tad too long at 100 minutes and it probably would've benefited from tighter pacing to 85 minutes. The movie also has something of a drag on the comedy in the film as much like Home Alone, Hughes tries to add moments of sentimentality with Lara Flynn Boyle and Matthew Glave's characters, but the scenes don't fit tonally with the rest of the film and only serve to be whiplash from the lighter more slapstick part of the film. This was a sentiment echoed by director Johnson who said test audiences were left uneasy with the kidnapping aspect slightly overshadowing the comedy and Johnson has said that if he were to re-write the film he would've had Bink leave on his own accord because his parents aren't paying attention and then rewrite the three crooks as good natured conmen who try to bring back Bink to get the reward money.

Baby's Day Out is a perfectly decent film that's slightly above the level of many Home Alone inspired films that tried to copy the formula and it's significantly better than the Look Who's Talking series. Most of the criticism that was levied against the film can't really be denied and it was deservedly beat out at the box office by The Lion King, but as an inoffensive piece of broad family entertainment you can certainly do worse.

Kanal D

[jack_o_hasanov_imdb · 6/10 · 8 August 2021]

They gave it to Turkey's Kanal D channel for the first time and I recorded it on VHS. It was so funny.

Not up to John Hughes' usual standards, but still pretty good

[g-zimmerman1 · 6/10 · 14 April 2004]

Baby born to rich parents is kidnapped by men posing as baby photographers. What they don't know is that this baby is very smart, and always seems to be a step ahead. The baby gets them into all kinds of trouble, including a dangerous chase through the framework of an unfinished building, a nod to classic cartoons of the 40s & 50s. The baby also wanders into a gorilla cage, where it seems as though the gorilla is protecting him. (The gorilla never harms the baby, but scares off the kidnappers whenever they try to get near the cage). Joe Mantegna, in an unusually unintimidating role, plays the head kidnapper. In case you didn't hear it mentioned once early in the movie, Baby Bink's real first name is Bennington. Overall, this is a decent family film, but there are many others that are a lot better.

Guilty pleasure, perhaps...

[rbsjrx · 9/10 · 17 May 2009]

...but I really love this movie! It's a pity this was released on the coattails of "Home Alone", since it's inevitably perceived as a knock-off. But the comparison is really unfair. "Home Alone" featured McCauley Culkin as annoying, precocious, and self-sufficient far beyond his years. The criminals who were his foils were reminiscent of The Three Stooges in their ineptitude. The one quality both Culkin and the criminals shared was a being mean spirited to some degree.

Baby Bink in "Baby's Day Out" is a true innocent who survives on luck while remaining adorably unaffected. His criminal foils are more reminiscent of Laurel & Hardy than The Three Stooges - cleverer and more subtle. In this case, the quality shared by Baby Bink and the criminals is innocence and an underlying decency.

The supporting cast is superb, led by Joe Mantegna in one of his best comic roles.

If you're not too jaded to appreciate it, I highly recommend this movie.

Nimble variation on the "Home Alone" theme...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 12 September 2006]

When all is said and done (and all the laughs have been had), it's easy to come to the conclusion that BABY'S DAY OUT should have been a Walt Disney cartoon. Cartoon-like is the only way to explain the various blows the villains take (or dodge) during their attempts to get their kidnapping scheme to work. Their pratfalls become the stuff of legend once the movie reaches its climactic scene at a construction site where every imaginable pitfall is exposed--but always with Baby Bink emerging unscathed while the villains suffer their comic fate.

It's the sort of film that must have looked good on paper, but in executing it there's no way to make any of it believable, at least for adults. Children will probably have a good time laughing at all of the pratfalls and near escapes that the baby has without being trampled on by cars or people.

It's amusing enough and works as a comedy of errors. The villains are played skillfully by Joe Mantegna and Joe Pantoliano and the baby is priceless in all of his scene-stealing glory. Everyone else is more like a blank slate whenever the action returns to parental moments.

Good for a few laughs, despite all the cartoon-like improbabilities.

Worst Movie Ever Made

[bttflf · 1/10 · 31 July 2006]

This pathetic excuse for a movie is an embarrassment to John Hughes' other masterpieces such as Home Alone. Even Home Alone 3 is better than Baby's Day Out.

During the movie I actually got up, left, and smashed my head against the bathroom wall. This was far less painful than watching this pile of garbage.

It was infuriating to watch this terrible movie knowing I had wasted so much money going to the drive-in. The only redemption I got was when the movie ended, and thousands of other drive-in goers booed it. At least the rest of money was reasonably spent when the 2nd movie of the night showed: True Lies.

Every actor in Baby's Day Out should be smacked in the face with a hammer.

I hurt myself laughing!!!

[Bronco46 · 9/10 · 24 March 2002]

This is one of those films that should be watched when ever your feeling really down. I have found it impossible to not laugh and then feel better while watching this film. You can't take this film seriously however. It's as if a Warner Brothers cartoon was brought to life. So, you have to suspend your disbelief and just enjoy Joe Mantegna and his hapless lackies. Joe does a great job with character. Please, if you watch this film and don't like it; write me, and let me know why you didn't like it. I like to know.

Good

[margaan-06344 · 6/10 · 10 October 2020]

I like film idea, child doing everything from a story

Excellence at it's gist.

[hmm_ · 5 January 2002]

This movie is worth checking out. Even though it's predictable, the events that happen as this movie unfolds are funny as hell. Especially the part when Eddie has the baby in his lap under his coat and the police are asking him whether or not he has seen any babies today. The baby lights Eddie's lighter - - the rest you'll have to see to believe. I rated this 10 out of 10 stars, and I agree with the first person who said "Drink your bottle of milk and enjoy this predictable film," because that's exactly what you should do. Don't take it seriously or else you'll miss the point.

Baby's Day Out is Far Out!!!!

[eriksengoetz · 7/10 · 7 October 2012]

This movie was capital G Good. I liked the three criminals the most. You had the weaselly thin one Norby (the brilliant Joe Pantoliano), the big goofy one Veeko (a breakout performance by the criminally underrated Brian Haley) and then the "smart" guy Eddie (and when I say smart, you will see that none of them are that smart) played by Airheads and Godfather 3 legend "Fat" Joe Mantegna. Three classic performances that carry the whole movie. I don't want to give too much away, but don't go to the bathroom when they get to the gorilla exhibit. Or the construction site!!! Those scenes almost made me go to the bathroom on my futon!!! The baby gets pretty boring after a while, but it's fun to think about how they had to keep rotating the twins every time one started crying or whatever.

The title pretty much says it all!

[Go_Skins · 6/10 · 18 February 2005]

This is an older movie. I really liked the plot lines. It had Lara Flynn Boyle who is one of my favorite actresses but you don't really see her character that much. This movie is about a baby that gets kidnapped by 3 bumbling kidnappers that have no clue whatsoever! I showed this to my two boys that are 6 and 9. They seemed to like it. Especially my younger son. He was laughing hysterically throughout the movie! The kidnappers of course want a huge sum of money which they don't end up getting because the baby ends up escaping from them! I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone! I also liked Cynthia Nixon's character in this movie. She did a wonderful job!

Baby's Day Out: A Hilarious and Heartwarming Adventure

[musa-18003 · 7/10 · 24 May 2023]

"Baby's Day Out" is a lighthearted comedy film released in 1994. The story revolves around a mischievous and adventurous baby named Bink. Bink comes from a wealthy family and is the center of attention for his doting parents and their staff. However, three inept criminals, led by the bumbling Eddie, hatch a plan to kidnap Bink and hold him for ransom.

The criminals manage to kidnap Bink while his nanny, Gilbertine, is momentarily distracted. However, Bink proves to be a handful for the criminals as he continuously outsmarts them and leads them on a comical chase through the city. Bink explores various locations, including a construction site, a department store, and a zoo, creating chaos wherever he goes.

Throughout the adventure, Bink encounters friendly strangers who unknowingly help him evade the criminals. Meanwhile, his parents, along with the police, launch a frantic search to find him. As the criminals' plans crumble and their attempts to capture Bink fail hilariously, they become increasingly desperate.

In the end, Bink manages to outwit the criminals, and with the help of his newfound friends, he reunites with his relieved parents. The film concludes with a heartwarming resolution as the family celebrates Bink's safe return.

"Baby's Day Out" is a light-hearted and entertaining comedy that showcases the innocence and resourcefulness of a baby on an unexpected adventure while highlighting the love and determination of his parents to bring him back safely.

I think it's safe to say....

[sirloinsovereign · 2/10 · 13 February 2006]

All movies in which a baby is the main character tea bag. Lets look at some examples: A) Baby's Day Out B) Son of the Mask C) Super Babies Look Who's Talking wasn't too painful. . . . .

I remember seeing this movie during a day camp field trip when I was 8 or 9 years old. Although I hadn't yet developed my current taste in movies, I could tell even at that young age that this was a steaming pile of sh*t.

URC: I hate that blond woman from the West Wing because she was in this movie.

Blah blah blah Ten. There now shut up!