3 Men and a Little Lady

A genuine winner in the old-fashioned family entertainment genre.

A sunny, exuberant confection and an enjoyably skillful one. Read full review

A far funnier movie than its predecessor. Read full review

While it's not a top-drawer romantic comedy, this is certainly a worthy sequel to Three Men and a Baby. Read full review

With Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson as the Three Men, you can forgive the artifice. All three have affable, winning personalities - not a hint of darkness in any of them. And it's refreshing to see a buddy movie without blazing Uzis and crashing cars. [19 Nov 1990]

I hated the original, but like this easygoing sequel. And unlike Home Alone, the filmmakers don't have to wreck real estate to earn some holiday- movie smiles. [21 Nov 1990, p.2D]

Three Men and a Little Lady is by no means great comedy, but it is enjoyable nonsense, significantly better than the original movie with its overdose of cutesy-poo gags. [25 Nov 1990, p.7C]

The sequel ought to pacify fans of the original. A predictable mix of farce and sentiment, pleasantly paced by director Emile Ardolino, the story is not in the least demanding. Read full review

This sequel is still considerably funnier than the original, with the male leads excelling in their roles. Read full review

Please circle the sentence that most closely reflects your feelings: 1. To me, this scene sounds precious, cute, madcap, zany, lovable, heart-warming, poignant and funny. 2. I find this scene nauseating, despicable, moronic, simpering, formulaic, tacky and culturally dangerous. Read full review

Too soft, too indistinct and too deliberately unambitious to rouse strong feelings one way or the other. It occupies two hours of your time, then melts without a trace. [21 Nov 1990, p.C1]

Thoroughly dull. [23 Nov 1990]

The follow-up to Three Men and a Baby offers more of the same. Mixed in among the cliches and stereotypes, there's a genial chuckle or two to be found Laughs that are strictly low-cal. [24 Nov 1990]

Other than Shaw's turn, which gets dampened in the determinedly frolicsome finale, there's little to like in Three Men and a Little Lady. Selleck is charming. Danson, aided by latex and a Carmen Miranda outfit, has two funny scenes. Travis has a lovely smile, which she overuses. Read full review

Borrowing liberally from Arthur and A Fish Called Wanda, the Little Lady ekes out a few good chuckles at its climax by combining slapstick with broad satire of British manners. [21 Nov 1990, p.1D]

When the comedy is on this level, all the actors can do is to hang on and hope for the best. [23 Nov 1990, p.7]

Almost nothing works here.

The most uncomprehending sequel of the last few years. It shows no awareness at all of what made the first film work so surprisingly well. What little emotion it summons is superficial and sentimental. The rest of the time it falls back on dumb farce and embarrassing Brit-bashing, climaxing with a vacuous chase scene. And this in a film that's supposed to be more mature than its predecessor. [21 Nov 1990, p.37]

Mostly, though, the movie is a hack sitcom romance in which the big question is how long it will take Tom Selleck to confess his love for Nancy Travis, Mary's mom. [21 Nov 1990, p.D1]