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Mikey: So they come in different sizes? What are these? Jumbos?
James: Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Mikey: Yeah-heh. Lunch!

A 1989 comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling and starring John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, and the voice of Bruce Willis.

Mollie Jensen (Alley) is an accountant living in New York City. She's been having an affair for quite some time with a wealthy married client, Albert (George Segal), who continuously makes excuses for why he hasn't left his wife yet. Mollie ends up pregnant, and Albert promises to support both her and the baby.

But then, she finds Albert with another woman. The shock sends her into labor, and she is forced to take a cab driven by James Ubriacco (Travolta) to the hospital. James is a nice guy, sticking around and providing support all through the birth. A few days after, he shows up at her apartment to return her purse, which she had left in the cab. He immediately hits it off with Mollie's newborn son Mikey (Willis). Eventually, a relationship develops between the two adults, with baby Mikey commenting on it all the way.

Let's face it, the real appeal is not in the romantic comedy plotline, but the fact that this time, we get the baby's POV on the matter.

It was followed by two sequels. Look Who's Talking Too (1990) added Roseanne Barr as the voice of Mikey's newborn sister Julie and Damon Wayans as the voice of Mikey's best friend Eddie. In Look Who's Talking Now (1993), the children have grown to speaking age and so we see things instead from the new dogs of the Ubriacco family, Rocks (Danny DeVito) and Daphne (Diane Keaton). They didn't fare as well as the first one, with the first sequel even receiving two Razzie nominations. Also spawned a short-lived Spiritual Successor sitcom, Baby Talk, which ran for two seasons from 1991-1992. While the sitcom was a different continuity and none of the film's characters appear, the characters were created by Amy Heckerling, who wrote and directed the first film.


Tropes in the original movie:

  • Accidental Misnaming: Albert keeps calling Mikey "Mickey".
    Mollie: MIKEY!
  • Actor Allusion:
    • Mikey is being strolled down the sidewalk to the tune of "Staying Alive".
    • James is a pilot on the side, as is John Travolta.
    • When Julie is born at the end of the first film, she is voiced by Joan Rivers. She asks Mikey, "Can we talk?"
  • Babies Ever After: More of a case of Book Ends, given the story starts with a baby, but the first movie ends with the birth of Julie, Mikey's younger sister.
  • Baby's First Words: The first time Mikey actually speaks out loud in the movie is calling James "dada," finally giving the push for Mollie and James to get together.
  • Baby Talk: Mollie's mother babbles to Mikey, who thinks it means she's gone nuts.
  • Bad Date: Mollie has one, thanks to a "little helpful advice" from the babysitter.
  • Belligerent Sexual Tension: James and Mollie are just friends for the first year of Mikey's life before finally acting on their feelings for each other.
  • Book Ends: Downplayed. The first film opens with a scene of sperm fertilizing an egg to show Mikey's conception, and the last scene of the film begins with a shorter scene of sperm fertilizing an egg before showing Mikey's newborn sister.
  • Call-Back:
    Albert: I'm going through a selfish phase.
    Mollie: A selfish phase?!

    Albert: I'm trying to be honest! I thought you'd understand!
    Mollie: Oh, I understand. I understand that you're going through a selfish phase.
  • Chekhov's Gun: When James first visits Mollie after she gave birth to Mikey, he returns her purse, which she left in his cab while in labor. He mentions her diaphragm was inside. In the second film, James and Mollie conceive Julie despite the fact that she was wearing that diaphragm.
  • Chekhov's Skill: James's ability to drive crazy but efficiently comes back when they need to chase down a runaway Mikey.
  • Covers Always Lie: The poster for the first film, which was replicated on several of the VHS releases, strongly implies that James is Mikey's father. James is actually Mikey's stepfather — and even then, not officially until the second film — with Albert being his biological father.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Lots of Mikey's commentary falls into this.
  • Description Cut: When Mollie calls the police thinking Mikey's been kidnapped, she says it's either that or with someone who's a complete idiot. Cut to James taking Mikey to work with him while Mollie was asleep.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: Mollie’s father reads an accounting magazine the way a child reads a comic book.
  • Double Entendre: The entire scene when James is taking the splinter out of Mollie's hand and her mother hears outside the apartment door. Made even better when James zips his pants as he walks out.
  • Drugs Causing Slow-Motion: Mollie receives an epidural before delivering Mikey. He is shown in the womb been woozy, talking slower than usual, and being fascinated by his hand, which he watches while slowly moving it in front of his face.
  • Drives Like Crazy: James, though only once and only because it was the only way to get Mollie to a hospital in time.
    Mollie: Hey, slow down! The first stage of labor can take hours!
    James: Yeah, so can the midtown traffic!
  • Easily Forgiven: Mollie comes home from her disastrous date with a fellow accountant, angry at James for sabotaging it (James told him Mollie is "liberated", insistent on paying for everything and not liking doors opened for her, etc.), but melts at the sight of James and Mikey asleep on the couch.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: When an unconcerned nurse tells Mollie to calm her breathing during her contractions ("You're not in aerobics class"), Mollie's voice goes to Demonic Possession levels screaming FUCK MY BREATHING! This receives a Call-Back in the sequel when she goes into labor at work and screams for somebody to get her to a fucking hospital in a similarly deep voice.
  • Gilligan Cut: After Mollie vows aloud that she will not develop Postpartum Depression, the scene cuts abruptly to her crying uncontrollably.
  • The Guards Must Be Crazy: The orderly who volunteered to watch James's grandfather and Mikey while Mollie is downstairs goes on his lunch break and leaves the two alone. Mikey escapes an easily distracted Grandpa, setting up the climax of Mikey running loose on his own.
  • House Amnesia: At the end of a heated argument between Mollie and James, the latter tells Mollie to get out of his apartment, and Mollie reminds him that this is her apartment.
  • Imagine Spot: Trying to find a father for Mikey, Mollie dates two undesirable gentlemen, then has a fantasy for each of them where they act like terrible fathers to Mikey. Later, she starts having sex with James, but stops ahead of time because she imagines her and James as a poor family with tons of rowdy kids.
  • Improbable Infant Survival: When Mikey wanders out into a busy New York City street, cars rush past him and crash all around him. He doesn't have a scratch.
  • Innocent Inaccurate: Mikey is prone to these (being an infant and all). He thinks boobs are only there for food, for example.
    James: Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?
    Mikey: Yeah-heh. Lunch!
  • Innocent Innuendo: A funny scene when they are trying to remove a splinter out while Mollie's mom is outside. Mollie says, "Ooh! I've never had one that big in me!" To make matters worse, when James leaves her apartment, he non-chalantly zips up his jeans right in front of her mother.
  • Instant Birth: Just Add Labor!: Subverted, but Jimmy believes the trope to be true. Jimmy starts driving like a mad man when he finds out his fare (Mollie) is in labor, and doubles down on the madness when her water breaks. She yells at him to calm down and drive safe, the first stages of labor can take hours. He replies that the traffic in that area of town can take hours as well. Mollie was right, they arrive at the hospital in plenty of time.
  • "Jump Off a Bridge" Rebuttal: James goes to speak to Mikey after being fired as his babysitter due to a fight with Mollie. He tells Mikey that Mollie thinks he's too immature to be a father figure, and starts recounting some of the advice his own father gave him, including this trope, which he says he still uses as an adult.
  • Law of Inverse Fertility: Mollie never plans her pregnancies.
  • Lightbulb Joke: A conversation between Mikey and two other babies in the park centers around this.
    Mikey: How many babies does it take to screw in a light bulb?
    Park Baby 1: How many?
    Mikey: What’s a light bulb?
    <<Mikey and Park Baby 1 laugh>>
    Park Baby 2: I don’t get it.
  • Ms. Imagination: Most of the Imagine Spots are Mollie's.
  • Morning Sickness: Mollie's first clue to her conception. Once the "sperm race to fertilize" sequence ends, we're "greeted" by a shot of Mollie puking her guts out.
  • My Biological Clock Is Ticking: Told to Mollie by her OB/GYN when she finds out about her first pregnancy. This leads to a nightmare where she's hanging from a clock tower.
  • Neat Freak: One of Mollie's dates. This doesn't put him in her 'good father' book.
  • Never My Fault: After nearly colliding with another car, James yells at the driver to "pull over till the ludes wear off", despite the fact that he's the one driving like a maniac trying to get the in-labor Mollie to the hospital.
  • Nice Guy: James.
  • Nice to the Waiter: Mollie starts dating several men and discarding them by imagining how they would behave with her son, Mikey, judging on how they treat the waiter.
  • Oh, Crap!: James' reaction to discovering that his latest fare has just gone into labor.
  • Opposites Attract: James is a carefree taxi driver, Mollie is a worrywart accountant, and they eventually pair up.
  • Out-of-Context Eavesdropping: James pulls out a splinter from Mollie's finger. Her mother overhears and assume they're having sex. When James comes out, he zips his fly.
  • Parental Sexuality Squick: Mollie's mother says that if she thought too much about how responsible Mollie's father was when they first met, they never would have gotten past the first week, which she claims was very fun. Mollie groans and tells her mom, "Don't talk about sex and Daddy!" to which her mom chuckles.
  • Parental Substitute: James becomes Mikey's babysitter and bonds with him so easily, Mikey decides to make James his daddy. James becomes his stepdaddy by the end of the film.
  • Precision F-Strike: Mollie's demonic FUCK MY BREATHING! during her labor with Mikey.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After learning that Mollie lied about having an artificial insemination, James and Mollie got into an argument. Mollie tells him Albert has a right to see his son and that James is too immature to be a dad. Then James calls her out for using Mikey to push other guys away.
  • Screaming Birth: Mollie is in agony during Mikey's birth, demanding drugs and at one point shouting like she's possessed by a demon.
  • She Cleans Up Nicely: Both Mollie and James have this reaction when they see each other dressed up for their respective dates, since usually when they're around each other, Mollie is in mom-wear and James doesn't really dress up.
  • Sperm as People: The opening sequence shows an anthropomorphic sperm fertilizing an egg. The sequel takes it up a notch, as the sperm and egg receive their own voiceovers.
  • Spit Take: James does one when Mollie informs him that the milk he put in his coffee is breast milk.
  • Straying Baby: During the climax, Mikey wanders into a car being towed and ends up in the middle of New York City traffic. Mollie and James are terrified. Mikey, not so much.
  • Time Skip: The film has Mikey aging a couple of years using a Time-Compression Montage.
  • Wacky Cravings: Even before pregnancy is confirmed, Mollie starts eating her mother's cooking heartily; her mom notices this, as she's never cared for her cooking before. She also starts eating ice cream (which she never liked before). There's also an in-utero shot of Mikey yanking on his umbilical cord like it's a signal rope and demanding orange juice; cut to Mollie chugging down most of a gallon.
  • What the Hell, Hero?:
    • James calling out Mollie's decision to get pregnant with a married man's child and calling it irresponsible. He's the first to point out how hypocritical she comes off sometimes.
    • Mollie gives him one for taking Mikey while she slept, making her think he kidnapped him.
  • You're Drinking Breast Milk: Jimmy does a Spit Take when Mollie informs him the bottled milk he put in his coffee is her breast milk.
    Jimmy: Why didn't you tell me?
    Mikey: Hey, you're on your own!
  • Your Head A-Splode: One of Mollie's imagine-spots pictures this happening to Albert when she's forced to do his taxes.
    Albert: I'm gonna burst if I don't kiss you soon.
    Mollie: Tough.
    [Albert's head explodes into sparks and glitter]


Tropes in Look Who's Talking Too:

  • Better than Sex: When Mikey first uses the toilet, James remarks that the pride he feels is "better than money, better than airplanes," but he's hesitant to agree when Mollie proclaims that it feels better than sex.
  • Big Brother Instinct: Zigzagged with Mikey and Julie. Upon hearing that he's going to be a big brother, he fantasizes about taking care of his baby sister and protecting her from punk toddlers. However, her snotty attitude and constant crying after she's born changes his mind and he constantly insults her and even destroys her favorite toy. He later comes around to love her, and even pushes her out of their burning apartment.
  • But We Used a Condom!: Mollie has a diaphragm, it just doesn't seem to do her any good. The film shows one of the sperm sliding past it.
  • Eskimos Aren't Real: Somewhat averted. Baby Mikey is sitting awake at night scared. He lists various things he's worried about, and that they aren't real. This includes monsters, ghosts, witches, and dinosaurs. He knows that one of them used to be real, but can't remember which. Justified, since he is a baby.
  • Infant Sibling Jealousy: Mikey doesn't get along with Julie, though in this case, she gets to snap right back at him. He even blames her for their parents' marital problems and destroys her favorite toy. Mikey later realizes how mean he was being and apologizes to Julie.
  • Mocking Sing-Song: The egg cell goes "neener neener neener" to the swarm of sperm cells when they find themselves blocked off from access to her by a diaphragm.
  • Potty Dance: Mikey thinks that he just has to pee by jumping up and down, and results in Potty Failure a bit later.
  • Potty Failure: Happens to Mikey at one time. Finally averted a little later when he decides to use the toilet all by himself without any trouble.
  • Product Placement: Mikey and Julie watch a commercial about the G.I. Joe Retaliator and Cobra Hammerhead. Both babies want the latter toy, before Mikey tells her it's not for girls. Before that commercial, there was also the one about the WWF Wrestling Buddies from Tonka.
  • Sequel Escalation: For one thing, Mikey has to save Julie from an apartment fire.
  • Shout-Out:
    • While Mollie and Julie try to make themselves perfect in their makeup montage, "I Enjoy Being a Girl" from Flower Drum Song (the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that's based on the novel by C.Y. Lee) plays in the background.
    • The cartoon that Mikey and Julie are trying to watch is "Minnie the Moocher" (you know, the cartoon that has the titular song by Cab Calloway, and whose scene includes prisoners being led to electric chairs while singing "Eye-dee-eye-dee-eye-dee-eye-dee-eye-dee-eye-dee-eye... Eee-dee-eee-dee-eee-dee-eee-dee-eee-dee-eee-dee-eee..." you know how that goes...).
  • Straw Character: Mollie's brother, representing everything a New Yorker should not believe.
  • Toilet Training Plot: Part of the film is about toilet training Mikey.


Tropes in Look Who's Talking Now:

  • Actor Allusion: Mollie is reduced to working as an elf in a mall Santa display, sporting a gigantic pair of pointed ears. When some kids ask what she's supposed to be, she snarls "I'm a Vulcan! Wanna see my death grip?" Kirstie Alley's first movie role was playing the Vulcan Saavik in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
  • Audit Threat: Mollie meets with her mother and complains about James' new boss, a young, attractive wealthy woman who is taking up all of his time by using him as her private pilot. Rosie, an accountant, suggests they could have her audited. A later scene seems to indicate that they actually went through with this.
  • Demoted to Extra: Mikey and Julie in Look Who's Talking Now, which focus on dogs.
  • Dog Stereotype: Mutt Rocks is easygoing and rough around the edges, purebred poodle Daphne is snobby, spoiled, and high-maintenance.
  • Literal-Minded: Julie is enamored with the Lakers because she thinks their ability to dunk the basketball means they can fly. Mollie gets off the phone with James to find she's scaled a bookcase and is ready to try it herself. After catching her, Mollie tries to explain that people can't fly. Julie points out that Daddy flies, and Mollie agrees he does—in an airplane.
  • How Can Santa Deliver All Those Toys?: James tells Mikey that the story of Santa living at the North Pole is fake, but Santa is real and lives in Finland. When Mikey asks the trope question, James replies "Finland Airlines." The reindeer fly freight, apparently.
  • Misplaced Wildlife: There are no wolves in New York.
  • Oddball in the Series: Most obviously, the kids have grown up enough to speak for themselves, so the premise is switched from celebrity-voiced babies to celebrity-voiced dogs. It's also the only installment to not be written and directed by Amy Heckerling.
  • Prisoner's Last Meal: After Rocks is caught by a dog catcher and placed in a kennel, he's fed liver, which the all other dogs realize is a bad sign, meaning he was given his last meal before he would be put down. Fortunately, James and Mikey arrive just in time and pick him out for adoption.
  • Santa's Existence Clause: Mikey thinks he's too old to believe in Santa. His parents encourage him to still believe, which he does reluctantly, only to be devastated when he stumbles upon a Mall Santa out of character.
  • Sequel Escalation: This time the family encounters a pack of wolves in the forest.
  • Special Effects Evolution: For the first time, sperm fertilizing eggs is created with CGI rather than the puppetry that was used in the first two movies.
  • Tempting Fate: Once Samantha's hoax is revealed, she threatens to fire James if he leaves her cabin. James' response? Leaves the cabin... with a smile.
  • Urine Trouble: Rocks isn't housetrained when he is adopted, as he's been living on the street. There's a Running Gag of him peeing in the house. When he finds James at Samantha's remote woodland cabin, he pees on her shoes right after James decides to quit.
  • The Vamp: Samantha is just your average husband-stealing hussy.


 
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Look Who's Talking

Mollie goes into labor right as she gets into a cab, and the ride to the hospital is an adventure in itself.

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