Look Who's Talking (1989)
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A single mother and a taxi driver form an unexpected bond with her infant son, who can speak his thoughts to the audience.
The story
Mollie Jensen, an accountant in New York City, becomes pregnant following an affair with a married client. After discovering the man's infidelity, Mollie goes into labor and is rushed to the hospital by a taxi driver named James Ubriacco. Mistaken for the father, James witnesses the birth of baby Mikey. Mollie becomes a single mother, and the audience hears Mikey's internal thoughts. James eventually tracks Mollie down and strikes a deal to use her address to arrange care for his grandfather in exchange for working as Mikey's babysitter.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mollie Jensen, an accountant in New York City, becomes pregnant during an affair with a married client named Albert. After catching Albert with another woman, Mollie goes into labor and is taken to the hospital by a taxi driver, James Ubriacco. Mistaken for the father, James witnesses the birth of baby Mikey. Mollie becomes a single mother, and the audience hears Mikey's internal thoughts. James eventually tracks Mollie down and strikes a deal to use her Manhattan address to arrange care for his grandfather, Vincent, in exchange for babysitting Mikey. As Mollie goes on dates, James develops a bond with Mikey, who decides James should be his father. James takes Mollie flying, and she begins to fall for him, though she initially doubts his maturity. When Albert tries to re-insert himself into their lives, James fights him off. Mollie eventually realizes Albert is selfish and leaves him. After a series of events where James saves Mikey from traffic, Mikey says his first word, 'Da-da.' Mollie and James decide to give their relationship a chance. Nine months later, Mollie gives birth to a daughter, Julie, who also has an inner voice.
- First release year
- 1989
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Amy Heckerling
- Writers
- Amy Heckerling · writer
- Cast and characters
- John Travolta · James Ubriacco; Kirstie Alley · Mollie Jensen; Olympia Dukakis · Vincent; George Segal · Albert; Abe Vigoda; Bruce Willis · Mikey (voice)
- Genres
- romantic comedy; independent
- Themes
- parenting; single motherhood; unconventional family
- Tone and mood
- romantic; comedic
- Premise and plot tags
- pregnancy; babies; accountants
- Franchise connections
- Look Who's Talking
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was an enormous box office success, becoming a surprise hit and one of the highest-grossing films of 1989.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 51 · scale: 100 · review count: 15; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award · winning films · win
- Production trivia
- The idea for the film came shortly after the birth of Amy Heckerling's daughter Mollie Israel in 1985.; Harold Ramis believed the character of Albert (George Segal) to be based on himself.; The film was released in the United Kingdom on April 6, 1990, and topped the country's box office that weekend.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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