Three Men and a Cradle
by Coline Serreau
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DVD details
Actor: André Dussollier, Dominique Lavanant, Michel Boujenah, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Roland GiraudDirector: Coline Serreau
Brand: Image Entertainment
Cinematographer: Jean-Jacques Bouhon
Cinematographer: Jean-Yves Escoffier
Writer: Coline Serreau
Editor: Catherine Renault
Producer: Jean-François Lepetit
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 106 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-08-09
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Homevision
DVD Reviews of Three Men and a Cradle
DVD Review: Better than its American remake...
Summary: 5 Stars
I guess a clueless guy being suddenly saddled with the care of a wailing infant is always pretty funny. Even John Wayne was cast in a babysitting role in 3 Godfathers, a 1948 western drama which had its moments of funny. In 1985, the French comedy THREE MEN AND A CRADLE (3 HOMMES ET UN COUFFIN) came out and was so successful that it inspired the 1987 American adaptation Three Men and a Baby, which then also amassed buckets of duckets. However, I do think that THREE MEN AND A CRADLE is more layered and, therefore, more truthfully emotional than THREE MEN AND A BABY.
I just love watching Frenchies being anxious and frantic, as opposed to, say, being smug and obnoxious. It lowers my blood pressure. THREE MEN AND A CRADLE tells of what happens when a baby girl is abandoned on the doorstep of a posh apartment shared by three Parisian bachelors enjoying the good life. There's a subplot revolving around dope smuggling, but mostly the film is about how these three men transform - reluctantly, at first - from swinging womanizers into doting father figures.
If you're into scatological humor, then you're in luck. If you're into sentimental stuff, then you're also in luck, although this French version isn't as mawkish or precious as its American counterpart. By the way, don't get me wrong, I dig THREE MEN AND A BABY, which is darn enjoyable but does play for easy laughs more so than this one. THREE MEN AND A CRADLE, for example, goes more into exploring the state of despondency the guys go thru, with the baby's departure. Also, more attention is paid to the baby's mother, who we learn is a struggling model, barely able to make ends meet. You can see why she has trouble tending to her baby and how then this impacts the film's resolution.
Still, both film versions offer up men who work themselves into a dither, scampering to impromptu learn to care for a baby. THREE MEN AND A CRADLE is chock-full of cute baby moments, but, of course - and the same goes for its remake - the pound for pound best moment is the three "dads" lullabying the baby to sleep. In this one, the tune happens to be "Au Clair de la Lune."
The three actors playing the roommates are excellent, their timing locked in. Their rapid, back-and-forth dialogue, and especially their arguments, are pretty wonderful to watch. But, more than anyone else on screen, Roland Giraud (Pierre) shines as the crabby point-of-view character. Pierre the architect is the most responsible of the three and manages to keep the movie grounded enough, in spite of the broad antics, that you don't instantly dismiss this movie as madcap fluff. Not that child abandonment is madcap fluff...
I also like that these three confirmed bachelors aren't classically handsome studs. They look like average Joes with normal physiques, and they don't mind going shirtless in several scenes. In fact, the artist guy is fairly slovenly looking, which in a way makes him an even more endearing character. But not as endearing as the baby, who is an awesomely cutesy-ootsy so-and-so.
I just found out that there's a sequel to THREE MEN AND A CRADLE, titled 18 Ans Apres (Original French Version - No Subtitles) (18 YEARS LATER), which came out in 2003 and reunited the cast and director. It took me about thirty seconds, after finding out, to order that puppy.
More Three Men and a Cradle reviews:
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Description of Three Men and a Cradle
Three clueless and hedonistic bachelors are forced to trade dames for diapers when an infant is left on their doorstep. Winner of the César Award for Best Film and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, writer-director Coline Serreau?s irresistible, sweet-natured farce was one of the most popular French comedies of the 1980s, and inspired the blockbuster American remake.When a baby girl appears on the doorstep of a Parisian apartment belonging to a trio of hedonistic bachelors, baby care is thrust upon them with hilarious and, ultimately, heartwarming results in this 1985 French comedy (with English subtitles) by writer/director Coline Serreau. Pierre, Michel, and Jacques are pleasure-seeking professionals with the singular goal to seduce women in their spare time. When Jacques leaves on a three-week vacation, a mix-up ensues and roommates Pierre and Michel (Roland Giraud and Michel Boujenah, respectively) discover that the "package" Jacques has enlisted them to watch in his absence is a cooing infant in a pink bassinette. With no prior experience and unable to contact Jacques (André Dussollier) to whom the baby was "addressed," they dive into the frenzied fracas of diapers and feeding schedules. Adding insult to insanity, they must fend off drug dealers?and police--interested in another "package." The simple storyline leaves plenty of room for shenanigans?formulaic perhaps, but still irresistible. Rather than a morality play on the recklessness of child abandonment, farcical comedy prevails. Over time, the men are smitten with little Marie who gives them plenty of adorable moments until they can't live without her. The obvious appeal of the story inspired the American remake two years later, though the French version is more compelling, nuanced, and touching. Parents should take note of the PG-13 rating for excessive profanity and sexual content. (Ages 12 and older) --Lynn Gibson
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