The Hunger Games has been defeated

I was planning on writing this blog about none other than the movie event of the weekend (year?)…the Hunger Games! Because yes, I was one of those people who bought advanced tickets to ensure an opening weekend viewing (what can I say, ever since Little Manhattan, I have loved me some Josh Hutcherson!)  Alas, I did not end up seeing Hunger Games after all, so needless to say it will not be the topic of this blog.  Instead, a more personal event took precedence-I welcomed my very first niece Saturday afternoon! Truth be told, I was more than happy to skip the blockbuster for a bus ride home.  Because even though I may be a movie (and J-Hutch) lover, babies will always come in first…particularly if they are family!

Spending the weekend at the hospital with my nearly two-year old nephew and brand new niece got me to thinking about children’s perspectives.  You see, my nephew seemed relatively un-phased about visiting his new baby sister in the hospital.  He gave her some kisses and mumbled her name a few times but something tells me he didn’t quite grasp that he is no longer king of the castle.  That harsh reality won’t set in until she’s home…on his turf.

The whole scenario reminds me of a movie franchise that I have always considered to be brilliant (though maybe more so in theme than in execution)-the Look Who’s Talking movies.  Well, really just Look Who’s Talking and Look Who’s Talking Too.  Once they introduced animal inner-monologues, I lost interest.  But I digress. From the moment I heard Bruce Willis as the voice of baby Mikey, I was hooked.  I mean aren’t we all just a little curious about exactly what babies are thinking when people poke, prod, coo and make funny faces at them? Otherwise well-balanced adults seem to turn into babbling buffoons just to get a smile or a laugh (by the way, I am admittedly guilty of this very thing.) The world according to Mikey proved to be intriguing, hilarious and heart-warming. Not to mention that Kirstie Alley and John Travolta were only slightly past their prime during these films.

And although the original is a classic, I think I actually prefer Look Who’s Talking Too.  While Roseanne Barr is not usually my favorite, she is spot on as the voice of baby Julie, Mikey’s younger sister.  Sassy quips between the two really make you wonder if babies have their own language that adults just aren’t privy to.  Personally, I think on some level they do.  Either way, the film’s imaginative charm makes it hard for me to flip past them on Sunday afternoon cable.

Of course, like babies themselves, these aren’t the only child-centric movies that I find irresistible.  But what about you–which baby-themed movie is hardest to resist?

Baby Boom

Father of the Bride: Part 2

Look Who’s Talking

Three Men and a Baby