Three Men and a Little Lady (1990)

Three Men and a Little Lady (1990)

5/10

Starring

Tom Selleck

Steve Guttenberg

Ted Danson

Nancy Travis

Directed by Emile Ardolino

Contains Spoilers

After the success of the first film, you can’t expect the studio not to make a sequel and cash in on the money moviegoers would happily spend to see the trio and Mary again. The sad thing is, this movie isn’t anywhere close to the first one and lacks the charm and energy that made the original enjoyable. The acting from everyone is just average, with some cast members finding their role slim down to comedy fun. The only thing good about this movie is that it answers your curiosity of what things would be after the ending of the first film.

The plot fails again in this second installment. Making Mary’s mom Sylvia’s fiancé the villain was just cheesy. From there, everything goes downhill. It feels like you’re watching three different movies crammed into one.

The first half is Three Men and a Baby with Sylvia. Mary, now grown up, is fun to watch as she adapts to life in this unusual living situation—living with three men and her mother. Then, the movie drops all the fun for the second part, focusing on Sylvia trying to find her own life, a man, and a home since Peter, the guy she fancies (not Jack), is being elusive, so she finds a new guy and starts plans to move out. The last part of the movie is all about Peter and his intentions toward Sylvia.

About two-thirds of the movie has little to do with the remaining two leads from the first film, Guttenberg and Danson. That means the magical chemistry between the three men is gone. It was that chemistry that made the first film so good. Now, we’re left with a romantic comedy with a weak plot.

Now back to the plot, you see moving out is not all Sylvia wants to do, she plans to marry her new man who, while wealthy and seemingly stable, is clearly bad for her long-term happiness.

Things get worse when the three find out the man lives in England and wants Sylvia and Mary to move there with him and his family. The gang decides to do everything they can to sabotage the marriage plans and bring together Peter and Sylvia.

The antagonist, is so generic, lacking any depth in character, and just like the first film, everything just aligns ever so conveniently for the two (Peter and Sylvia) to be together. Even to the point of the antagonist showing his true nature at just the perfect time.

Lazy writing, horrible directing and average acting, this movie was just one of those that should not have been made. Now we hear that Disney is planning a remake for their new streaming channel, Disney+. I hope it goes back to the roots of what made the first film so memorable.