Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- awkward
- warm
- date night
- couples movie night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film an uneven romantic comedy whose fertility subject and capable cast were undermined by conventional writing and inconsistent humor.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sam and Lucy’s attempts to conceive turn ovulation charts, medical appointments, and alternative treatments into sources of marital and social tension.
Sam writes a screenplay inspired by the couple’s struggle to have a child, provoking Lucy’s anger because she forbids him from telling their story.
The central relationship is an established marriage whose intimacy and loyalty are strained by infertility and professional dissatisfaction.
The couple’s love life becomes organized around ovulation charts, acupuncture, chanting, and professional fertility treatment.
Films like Maybe Baby, and why
The Back-up Plan
shared romantic comedy focus on marriage, fertility pressures, and candid adult relationship humor
Love Actually
shared British romantic comedy tone, marital complications, and ensemble comic misunderstandings
Four Weddings and a Funeral
shared witty relationship comedy centered on commitment, intimacy, and emotional honesty
Private Life
shared adult romantic comedy treatment of reproductive anxiety and partnership under pressure
Movie Details
- Director
- Ben Elton
- Release Date
- 2000-06-02
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 5.5 / 10 (107)
Cast
- Hugh Laurie
- Joely Richardson
- Adrian Lester
- Matthew Macfadyen
- Yasmin Bannerman
- Joanna Lumley
- Rowan Atkinson
- Emma Thompson
- James Purefoy
- Tom Hollander
Common questions
- What is Maybe Baby about?
- A married British couple’s quest for a baby turns fertility treatments, creative ambition, and marital privacy into an affectionate adult farce.
- What is Maybe Baby like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Maybe Baby as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Maybe Baby violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Maybe Baby.
- What did critics think of Maybe Baby?
- Critics generally found the film an uneven romantic comedy whose fertility subject and capable cast were undermined by conventional writing and inconsistent humor.
- Which films are like Maybe Baby?
- Films with a similar feel include The Back-up Plan, Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Private Life.
- How long is Maybe Baby?
- Maybe Baby runs 104 minutes.
