Director Blog 2: "What do you teach? Taxi Driver's Ed?"

Amy Heckerling's Look Who's Talking, produced in 1989, is a romantic comedy about an accountant, Mollie (played by Kirstie Alley), who has an unplanned pregnancy with a man who has, to say the least, more than a few women in his life. It is the entire plot line of the movie for Mollie to find a father for her son, Mikey. Mikey, the baby, whose voice is done by Bruce Willis, is what accounts for close to 3/4 of the humor in the film. His thoughts and ideas are voiced in a contemptuous manner and he constantly gives the audience some of his 'smartass-antics' from beginning to end of the film.

In terms of relating this movie back to Clueless, I find it kind of difficult because it is a much different stereotyping of characters being done, if any. This movie includes all adult actors/actresses, and there are no situations similar to that of ones in a Beverly hills high school. The one character connection I did make though was that Heckerling seems to always have a character looking to better themselves, but does it sort of blindsighted. In Clueless, Cher trying to make Tai fit in makes her realize that she should be the one trying to find herself and stand out instead of making other people fit in. In Look Who's Talking, Mollie tries to push away James, the cab driver, from being around her or her son, but in doing so finally realizes that he is what her and Mikey need to make the family complete.

Overall I thought the film was pretty good. It's a lot different than Clueless, although I did notice she used one of the same actresses in both movies (Twink Caplan). It's fun and I don't think people give it enough credit!

Here is a quote from a review of the film that I think gave it good credit, and says it right by saying:

"Like the dumb title, the story looks awful on paper: Unmarried accountant Alley gives birth to Mikey after an accidental pregnancy -- portrayed, by the way, in an elaborately, irresistably silly "Fantastic Voyage" title sequence -- and then struggles, with picturesque hysteria, to find a man. This could be the baby's real dad (George Segal as the married buccaneer businessman), or kind but goofy cabbie Travolta. Yecch.
But then, "Look Who's Talking" isn't on paper, silly. And Heckerling's central hokum is definitely silly, based on the notion that Mikey (and all babies, in fact) has somewhat adult, slightly cynical thoughts on everything that goes on around him, from conception to end credits -- and that these thoughts and embryonic wisecracks and creative interpretations are heard only by the audience via the aptly cast voice of overgrown kid Willis.
But via Heckerling's keen senses of visual comedy, musical humor (note Janis Joplin's "Cry Baby," in particular), rimshot-sharp editing and pace -- it works."

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