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Look Who's Talking (franchise)

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Look Who's Talking
Official franchise logo
Starring
Production
company
Distributed bySony Pictures Entertainment
Release date
1989-1993
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$355,061,198[1][2][3]

The Look Who's Talking franchise consists of American romantic family-comedies, including three theatrical films and a television series spin-off. The plot of each installment centers around a combined family, and their efforts to create the best lives for their infant children, while the infant children seek to help their parents through the use of an internal storytelling device, which the audience can hear. The central characters experience comedic and trying experiences that ultimately bring them closer together as a family unit.

The original film was met with mild critical reception,[4] though it was deemed a hit box office.[1][5] In years since, the film has earned its status as a cultural classic.[5] Its first sequel in contrast was received poorly by critics,[6] and earned less than half of its predecessor.[2] The third film was considered a disappointment both critically and financially.[7][2] Similarly, the television series spin-off received negative response from critics and viewers alike.[8] Despite this, the two sequels have found a modern-day fanbase with critic reanalysis including the two installments in "so bad [they're] good" movie lists.[9][10][11] Following the death of Kirstie Alley, various sources described the series as one of the greatest roles of her career.[12]

Film

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Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter Producer
Look Who's Talking October 13, 1989 (1989-10-13) Amy Heckerling Jonathan D. Krane
Look Who's Talking Too December 14, 1990 (1990-12-14) Amy Heckerling Amy Heckerling & Neal Israel
Look Who's Talking Now! November 5, 1993 (1993-11-05) Tom Ropelewski Tom Ropelewski & Leslie Dixon

Look Who's Talking (1989)

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Main article: Look Who's Talking

An accountant named Mollie Jensen regularly finds herself facing romantic hardships, with skepticism from her friends. When Mollie has a sexual encounter with a married man named Albert, she becomes pregnant. Though Albert promises to end his marriage for her, it is soon discovered that he is a womanizer and has no intentions of helping raise the child. Upon going into labor, Mollie travels by taxi to the nearest hospital with the help of a driver named James Ubriacco. After the hospital staff mistakes James as the father, Mollie gives birth to her son who she names Michael.

Though a single parent, Mollie determines to find what she believes will make a suitable father for her son, while her friendship with James strengthens, all while James becomes close with her baby "Mikey". As romantic feelings begin to build between them, Albert attempts to reinsert himself into Mollie and Mikey's lives. As Mollie tries to determine whether she wants to rekindle a relationship with Albert or whether her working-class friend James could be a suitable father, Mikey determines to serve as the catalyst that finally brings Mollie and James together.[13][14][15][16]

Look Who's Talking Too (1990)

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Main article: Look Who's Talking Too

James and Mollie prepare for the arrival of a new baby girl, while the couple begins to toilet train Mikey. James begins to work more consistently in his piloting job so that he can earn a higher income for his family, after being encouraged by Mollie's parents to do so. As the due date approaches, Mikey becomes excited for his new role as the older brother. Returning home after an emergency c-section birth of their baby, Mikey discovers that his little sister named Julie isn't impressed. The family endure the comedic experiences of a toddler and an infant in the house. As James has a demanding schedule at work, Mollie's impassive brother Stuart comes to stay with them as a means to assist with the housekeeping and babysitting.

The differences between James and Stuart add to the stressed communications between the couple, and the pair decides to separate for an unseeable future. Believing that their father left because of the new baby, Mikey becomes resentful towards Julie and a rivalry between them ensues. Though James remains involved with his children, Mollie begins to realize that he is missing the milestone events of their children, including Julie's first steps. Learning of severe storms that were coming, Mollie rushes to the airport to ask James to stay with hopes of bringing him back home. Leaving the children in the care of Stuart, she arrives just as the flight towers cancel the trip. Following a series of dangerous events including a robbery and a housefire, Mikey and Julie realize how much they care for each other, while the Ubriacco strengthens their relationships as a family.[17][9][18]

Look Who's Talking Now! (1993)

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Main article: Look Who's Talking Now!

Years later, the Ubriacco family continues to grow with James and Mollie determining that the family needs a dog. Though James has become a private pilot for a rich cosmetics tycoon named Samantha, he continues to search for opportunities to be involved with the lives of his family members. Though Mollie is initially suspicious and worries if James will cheat on her, she realizes that it is Samantha that has questionable intentions. After returning from the animal shelter with a formerly-stray mutt named Rocks who has bonded with Mikey, the family is surprised by Samantha who was brought her poodle named Daphne as a gift for James. Though the family doesn't know how to manage two different dogs, they do their best as Julie has also bonded with Daphne. Through their internal voices, the dogs begin to share their talents with one another and build a friendship overcoming their rivalry.

Just before Christmas, James is required by Samantha to be present for what she has called a meeting with an important client, only to find that she has brought him to an isolated cabin to be alone with her. Trapped in a snowstorm and avoiding her advances, James calls his family explaining the situation. Determined to "bring Christmas" to James, and with the combined help of Rocks and Daphne, the entire Ubriacco family travels through the woods searching for the cabin.[19][20][21][22]

Future

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In 2010, a reboot of the franchise was announced as being in development. The story was reported as being centered around an adult aged Michael "Mikey", who is about to reach fatherhood in the film. Neal H. Moritz was attached as producer.[23] In 2019, Jeremy Garelick and Adam Fields joined as writer/director and an additional producer, respectively. The project is a joint-venture production between Sony Pictures and Screen Gems.[24] In February 2020, Travolta and Alley expressed interest in reprising their roles from the original trilogy now in the role of grandparents.[25] With Alley's death in December 2022 from colon cancer, the status of this project is uncertain.

Television

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Main article: Baby Talk (TV series)

Initially developed as a television adaptation of Look Who's Talking, the associated studios and networks reworked the series to be an official spin-off to the films. Produced and aired through American Broadcasting Company (ABC), the series followed a similar premise to the films. The plot centered around Maggie Campbell, a single mother who manages her responsibilities while also searching for a suitable father for her son, an infant named Mickey, who vocalizes his perceptions of the world to the viewing audience, through the storytelling technique of an internal voice. Maggie welcomes the romantic advances of various single men, while Mickey tries to determine who is best for his mother. Following the overall negative critical reception of the first season, the producers and associated studios recast the majority of the principal cast, while also moving the characters to a new city.[8][24][26]

Recurring cast and characters

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List indicators

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

  • An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
  •  C indicates a cameo role.
  •  V indicates a voice-only role.
Character Films Television
Look Who's Talking Look Who's Talking Too Look Who's Talking Now! Baby Talk
Season one Season two
James Ubriacco John Travolta
Mollie Jensen-Ubriacco Kirstie Alley
Michael "Mikey" Ubriacco Christopher Aydon
Bruce WillisV[a] 		Lorne Sussman
Bruce WillisV 		David Gallagher
Julie Ubriacco Uncredited infant
Joan RiversV 		Megan Milner
Roseanne BarrV[b] 		Tabitha Lupien
Rocks Ubriacco Uncredited Irish wire fox terrier-mutt
Danny DeVitoV
Daphne Ubriacco Uncredited White coat poodle
Diane KeatonV
Maggie Campbell Connie Sellecca[c]
Julia Duffy 		Mary Page Keller
Mickey Campbell Ryan Jessup
& Paul Jessup
Tony DanzaV
Doris Campbell Polly Bergen
Joe George Clooney
Dr. Elliot Fleisher Tom Alan Robbins
James Holbrook Scott Baio
Anita Craig Francesca P. Roberts
Danielle Craig Alicia Johnson
& Celicia Johnson
Vernee Watson-JohnsonV
Tony Craig Wayne Collins

Additional production and crew details

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Film Crew/Detail
Composer Cinematographer(s) Editor(s) Production
companies 		Distributing
company 		Running time
Look Who's Talking David Kitay Thomas Del Ruth Debra Chiate Tri-Star Pictures,
M.C.E.G. Productions Inc. 		Sony Pictures Entertainment 1 hr 36 mins
Look Who's Talking Too Tri-Star Pictures,
Big Mouth Productions 		1 hr 22 mins
Baby Talk Bill Maxwell Daniel Flannery & Dan Kuleto Charlie Bowyer & Richard Russel Columbia Pictures Television,
Weinberger Company 		American Broadcasting Company 17 hrs 30 mins
(30 mins/episode)
Look Who's Talking Now! William Ross Oliver Stapleton Henry Hitner & Michael A. Stevenson TriStar Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment 1 hr 35 mins

Reception

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For more details on the reception of each film, see the "Reception" section in each film's article.

Box office and financial performance

[edit]
Film Box office gross Box office ranking Budget Worldwide net
total income 		Ref.
North America Other territories Worldwide All-time
North America 		All-time
worldwide
Look Who's Talking $140,088,813 $157,011,187 $297,100,000 #463 #662 $7,500,000 $289,600,000 [1][27][28]
Look Who's Talking Too $47,789,074 — $47,789,074 #1,981 #3,192 Information not publicly available ≤$47,789,074 [2][29]
Look Who's Talking Now! $10,172,124 — $10,172,124 #5,279 #7,464 Information not publicly available ≤$10,172,124 [3][30]
Totals $198,050,011 $157,011,187 $355,061,198 x̄ #2,574 x̄ #3,773 >$7,500,000 ≤$347,561,198

Critical and public response

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Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
Look Who's Talking 55% (38 reviews)[4] 51/100 (15 reviews)[31] A[32]
Look Who's Talking Too 13% (16 reviews)[6] — B[32]
Baby Talk 0% (10 reviews)[33] 30/100 (6 reviews)[34] —
Look Who's Talking Now! 0% (25 reviews)[7] 26/100 (19 reviews)[35] B [32]

Notes

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  1. ^ The character is also portrayed physically by various actors at different ages, including: Jason Schaller from the age of a fetus to a newborn, Jaryd Waterhouse at four-months, and Jacob Haines at one-year.
  2. ^ The character is also portrayed physically by various actors at different ages, including: Nikki Graham from the age of a fetus to a newborn, and Georgia Keithley at four-months. Travolta and Alley additionally voice the respective sperm and egg of their characters, during conception.
  3. ^ Sellecca was cast to portray the character, before ultimately dropping out of the series due to creative differences. She was ultimately replaced by Duffy, though despite this, segments of her portrayal was aired during a 1990 ABC Fall Preview Show.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Look Who's Talking (1989)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services LLC. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Look Who's Talking Too (1990)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services LLC. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Look Who's Talking Now (1993)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services LLC. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Look Who's Talking". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Rabin, Nathan (July 19, 2016). "'Look Who's Talking Now' is Unmatched in Its Sheer Pointlessness". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 15, 2024. ...the emotional core that initially made it culturally and emotionally resonant and the cutesy gimmick that helped make it a surprise box-office smash.
  6. ^ a b "Look Who's Talking Too". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Look Who's Talking Now". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Harris, Mark & Alan Carter (August 16, 1991). "A new formula for Baby Talk". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Shade, Jesse (January 25, 2019). "Look Who's Talking Too (1990)". JoBlo. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  10. ^ Shade, Jesse (December 15, 2018). "Look Who's Talking Now (1993)". JoBlo. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  11. ^ Igoe, Katherine J. (February 13, 2024). "32 Movies So Bad, They're Actually Good". Marie Claire. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  12. ^ Stump, Scott (December 6, 2022). "Fans remember favorite Kirstie Alley roles, from 'Cheers' to 'Look Who's Talking'". Yahoo! News. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  13. ^ Canby, Vincent (October 13, 1989). "Review/Film; Alley and Travolta in 'Look Who's Talking'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  14. ^ Ebert, Roger (October 13, 1989). "Look Who's Talking". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  15. ^ Cooper, Mark (January 1, 2000). "Look Who's Talking Review". Empire. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  16. ^ Piantadosi, Roger (October 13, 1989). "'Look Who's Talking' (PG-13)". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  17. ^ Berry, Jo (January 1, 2000). "Look Who's Talking Too Review". Empire. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  18. ^ Wilmington, Michael (December 14, 1990). "MOVIE REVIEW: 'Look Who's Talking Too' Needs a Diaper Change". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  19. ^ Holden, Stephen (November 5, 1993). "Review/Film; Inner Voices, This Time From Dogs". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  20. ^ Thomas, Philip (January 1, 2000). "Look Who's Talking Now Review". Empire. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  21. ^ Ebert, Roger (November 5, 1993). "Look Who's Talking Now". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  22. ^ Rachlin, Jill (November 19, 1993). "Look Who's Talking Now!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  23. ^ Reynolds, Simon (April 6, 2010). "'Looks Who's Talking' reboot in the works". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  24. ^ a b Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 8, 2019). "Screen Gems Taking Baby Steps On 'Look Who's Talking' Reboot With Jeremy Garelick & Adam Fields". Deadline. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  25. ^ Dick, Jeremy (February 17, 2020). "Kirstie Alley and John Travolta Volunteer for Look Who's Talking Reboot". MovieWeb. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  26. ^ "Baby Talk (1991–1992)". Nastalgia Central. 18 March 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  27. ^ "Look Who's Talking". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  28. ^ "Look Who's Talking (1989) - Box office / business". Internet Movie Database. Amazon.com. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  29. ^ "Look Who's Talking Too". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  30. ^ "Look Who's Talking Now". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  31. ^ "Look Who's Talking". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  32. ^ a b c "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  33. ^ "Baby Talk". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  34. ^ "Baby Talk". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  35. ^ "Look Who's Talking Now". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
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