Three Men and a Baby

The French got away with the obvious plotting because they knew at what point to leave a joke alone. Unfortunately, the Americans push everything too far -- and all they get for their pains is a very expensive sitcom.

Nimoy has imported everything intact from the French -- except the underlying message. What we are left with is an extended television sitcom.

Three Men and a Baby is fluff, but it's agreeable enough if you're a in kitchy-coo state of mind.

Just as in Coline Serreau's original comedy, there's no attempt to define the characters. But director Leonard Nimoy does put a little more heart into this push-button movie. And his stars slowly warm up to their roles as bachelor fathers.

The French version did have more texture, but the new film is brighter and livelier than its predecessor. And if the ending seemed more plausible in a French context, a subplot about drug smugglers is executed more nimbly in the new movie.