Whether you’re having a baby, have a baby, or are a baby, there are bound to be laughs involved. At least that’s what Hollywood would have you believe from its slew of baby-themed comedies.
With Bridget Jones falling pregnant in your Sunday night movie, we’re taking a look at movies about babies, babies and more babies. Whether they’re in the womb or in the world, here are nine of our favourite baby movies (including a fantasy and a horror amongst all the comedy) to mull over before tuning into Bridget Jones’s Baby.
- Baby’s Day Out
Written by John Hughes - the man who brought us Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off -Â is this comedy about a baby who outwits three witless criminals. Having kidnapped the diapered young dandy of a wealthy couple, the villains soon find themselves endlessly chasing the baby through downtown Chicago.
- Juno
A quirky comedy about teen pregnancy, it launched writer Diablo Cody and actress Ellen Page to stardom. Directed by Jason Reitman, the film was critically acclaimed, winning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
- Knocked Up
The brainchild (see what we did there?) of comedy king Judd Apatow, Knocked Up also deals with unexpected pregnancy – albeit in a less poignant and more uproarious way than Juno – when Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl hook up for a one-night stand.
- Labyrinth
This ‘80s classic centres on a teenaged girl’s misadventure through a maze as she desperately tries to rescue her kidnapped baby brother. Featuring musical numbers, Jim Henson puppetry, David Bowie as the conniving Goblin King and a baby who seems to rather enjoy being kidnapped, this is a fantasy classic superior to many of the cheesier outputs of the era.
- Look Who’s Talking
Who can ever forget the cheeky inner dialogue of baby Mikey, voiced by Bruce Willis? The baby-talking comedy was a hit leading to two sequels, neither of which was as successful as the original.
- Nine Months
Filmed during the dawn of Hugh Grant’s comedy heyday, this film casts him as a hesitant, insecure father-to-be. Having perfected the role of the bumbling yet endearing Brit, the part fit him like a glove.Â
- Raising Arizona
Another kidnapping misadventure, this time from the Coen brothers, it’s one that has you sympathising with the parents of the kidnapped baby and, in true Coen style, with the kidnappers. Unable to fall pregnant or adopt, the McDunnoughs decide the answer to their problem is to snatch a baby from a set of quintuplets. Packed with comedic gems, Coen regulars, and two loveable leads in the form of Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter, this is an undisputed Coen comedy classic. Â
- Rosemary’s Baby
Not all babies are cute and cuddly, especially not if they're the son of Satan. This horror classic stars Mia Farrow as the expectant mother, whose unusual progeny already makes it presence known through her difficult pregnancy. With its eerie characters and chilling ending, it’s not a movie you’ll soon forget.
- Three Men and a Baby
Some babies are kidnapped, some are evil, and some are dropped on the doorstep on three NYC bachelors. The latter is the case in this comedy classic starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson as the three men of the title who rise to the unexpected challenge of raising a baby, with hysterical results.
Get your dose of baby-themed comedy as Renée Zellweger returns to her iconic role in your Sunday night movie, Bridget Jones’s Baby, at 20:05 on M-Net.
Not into Bridget or babies? We have two more Sunday night movie selections for you.
On M-Net Movies Premiere at 20:30, Dave Franco and Emma Roberts star in cyber thriller Nerve. Watch the LallaLand interview with the cast here.
On M-Net at 22:55, Penelope Cruz cleaves close to life as she plays a Spanish Hollywood star who returns to Spain to make a movie, in The Queen of Spain.
Which #SundayNightMovie will you be watching? Share your selection on social media using the hashtag.