In 1986, there was a famous rivalry between fighter-plane movies in which Top Gun trounced Iron Eagle. In 1988, it was body-switch movies in which Big crushed Vice Versa and 18 Again! But what about 1987? Was there any rivalry along the lines of the year before and after it? There sure was! That was the year of the baby race at the movies.

Three Men and a Baby and Baby Boom made their mark in 1987. I don’t think many people remember Baby Boom, even though it was the debut of the husband-and-wife director/producer team of Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers. They went on to do remakes of Father of the Bride and The Parent Trap. Three Men and a Baby was the biggest box-office hit of 1987, and it was directed by Leonard Nimoy, who was hot off of directing Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

Despite being made by totally different people and having a distinct story focus, Three Men and a Baby and Baby Boom have some interesting similarities. Let’s talk about them.

Comedy vs. Drama

It’s important to note one thing from the outset. Three Men and a Baby is a comedy with dramatic elements, while Baby Boom is a drama with comedic elements. Three Men and a Baby deals with child abandonment, drug trafficking, and other potentially heavy topics in a lighthearted way. Baby Boom approaches sexism, personal tragedy, and financial hardships in rather realistic ways.

In both films, worldly adults are thrust into parenthood without any preparation. They struggle at first, but they soon bond with the baby, and that bond changes them for the better.

I can understand why Three Men and a Baby was more popular than Baby Boom. It leaves the audience smiling and only remembering the good times. Even if we recall the many diaper changes and other unpleasant experiences, they’re tinged with laughter in the funny way they were handled.

Meanwhile, by the end of Baby Boom, there’s no real catharsis for all the hardship endured by the protagonist. We remember everything she went through to make it to the final shot, and nothing feels truly settled except for her love for her adoptive daughter. I suppose that’s a blunt reality of parenting. Life goes on after the end credits roll, and it’s not always all smiles and fun.

In Their Element

Like any good story, these two films begin with a day in the life of their protagonists. Peter, Michael, and Jack are the titular three men who enjoy womanizing, drinking, partying, and exercising. They live together in a New York City apartment, and we get to see them living it up and playing to their strengths. Peter is an architect who has an open relationship with his girlfriend Rebecca. Michael is an artist who often strikes out with women because of his big heart. And Jack is an aspiring actor who has never taken responsibility for anything in his life.

J.C. Wiatt is a career woman living in a New York City apartment with her boyfriend, who she barely sees except at night. All she does is work at her firm where she handles a major food company’s account.

The Trouble Starts with a Phone Call

A phone call leads to a major misunderstanding. Jack leaves for Turkey to shoot a movie. On his way, he hastily calls Peter and Michael to tell them that a package is being delivered by a mysterious friend of his, and they shouldn’t tell anyone about it. Peter and Michael think it’s a baby that turns up on their doorstep, but it’s actually a container of drugs.

J.C. gets a call late at night from someone saying that a distant relative has died and left her something. She thinks it’s some sort of expensive property she’s inheriting, but it’s actually a baby.

First Diaper Change

The first time the main characters change a diaper is a disaster. Peter and Michael buy diapers that are too big, and they rip one as they try to put it on the baby named Mary. In the end, they get a diaper on her, but it falls right off when Peter picks her up.

J.C. does her best to put a diaper on the baby named Elizabeth, and she rips several as she tries to put them on her. In the end, J.C. gets a diaper on her, but she crawls right out of it.

Overbuying Baby Supplies

A shopping trip leads to unnecessary purchases. As an inexperienced caretaker, Peter goes shopping for baby supplies and winds up buying all kinds of things for Mary that she doesn’t really need, like giant diapers.

Uncertain of what a baby needs, J.C. goes shopping for baby supplies and winds up buying thousands of dollars’ worth of toys and clothes for Elizabeth that she doesn’t really need.

Second Thoughts About Giving the Baby Away

A major turning point of each film comes when the main characters try to give their baby away and then immediately reconsider. A couple of shady men show up at Peter and Michael’s apartment requesting the package that was delivered to them. Peter and Michael are relieved to give Mary to them. Right after the men leave, Peter realizes that the package was actually drugs, and he races to save Mary. He’s able to get her back so she won’t suffer a terrible fate.

J.C. brings Elizabeth to an adoption agency where a strange couple is willing to take the baby. J.C. is hesitant to give Elizabeth to them. Right after J.C. leaves, she listens to Elizabeth’s cries and realizes that she won’t be happy with that couple because they really want a boy and won’t love her properly. She’s able to get Elizabeth back so she won’t suffer a terrible fate, and she asks the baby to be patient with her.

No Help from Partners

The main character’s significant other turns out to be useless. Peter begs his girlfriend Rebecca for help with Mary, but she turns him down flat. The same thing happens to J.C. when her boyfriend discovers that she hasn’t given Elizabeth up for adoption. The difference is that Rebecca still stays with Peter after this failure, while J.C.’s boyfriend moves out and abandons her.

Babysitter Bust

The first experience with a babysitter proves to be a disaster. Peter gets his landlady to babysit Mary while he and Michael are busy one day. When they come home, the landlady is tied up and the apartment is ransacked, but Mary is safe. Peter and Michael take more precautions after that to protect against the drug dealers.

J.C. interviews potential babysitters and finds one who seems like a normal girl. When J.C. comes home from work, she finds that girl naked with her boyfriend, but Elizabeth is okay. J.C. takes more precautions after that to protect against thoughtless babysitters.

Divergent Paths

From this point on, the films go in wildly different directions. Jack gets fired from the film he was working on. He returns to New York City, and Peter and Michael delight in introducing him to the daughter he never knew he had. Jack struggles at first, but he eventually slips into the fatherhood role admirably. Working together, Peter, Michael, and Jack come up with a plan to outsmart the drug dealers and clear their names of any wrongdoing. Mary’s mother comes to retrieve her baby. She is tempted to leave the country for England, but she winds up staying in New York City and raising Mary there with the three circumstantial “fathers.”

J.C. gets fired from the firm she helped build. She leaves New York City, and she moves out to the country and delights in introducing her baby to farm life. She struggles at first, but she eventually slips into her businesswoman role once more. All by herself, she comes up with a baby food idea that makes Elizabeth a household name. J.C.’s old partners come to give her an offer for her company. She is tempted to leave the countryside for New York City, but she winds up staying away from the city and raising Elizabeth on her farm.

The End

Like I said at the start, Three Men and a Baby won the baby race of 1987 because it leaves a sweeter aftertaste than Baby Boom. All the trouble Peter, Michael, and Jack go through feels justified since it leads to a happy result, especially when Mary’s mother shows up at the end.

There’s not a clear happy ending to Baby Boom. The finale involves a little bit of sticking it to the man and escaping the rat race. But it ends somberly because J.C. is still missing the other part of a strong family: a husband. Sure, she’s hooking up with a local veterinarian, but it’s not clear that it will lead to marriage.

Much like Iron Eagle and Vice Versa, there are plenty of things to enjoy about Baby Boom, even if it wasn’t a big hit on its debut. And Three Men and a Baby remains a fun, heartwarming classic. They’re both solid movies. It’s fun to see how similar stories can lead to different results, especially when they mirror each other in so many ways. But no two babies (or baby movies) are exactly alike.

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

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