Caught this on cable last night and loved it - how can you not love a film that has (a nearly-unrecognizable) Gary Oldman playing Buford Dill, yer basic sadsack Southern petty criminal with a rectal problem which causes him to go through a lot of Chapstick? (This must be seen to be appreciated.) One of the funniest and endearing characterizations of his brilliant career. And Skeet Ulrich, who rescues and slowly becomes irreparably attached to the baby of the title, is thoroughly believable as well. If you watch it, make sure you stay through the end titles, which feature Oldman and Mary Steenburgen line-dancing. (PS: The baby is adorable too.)
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Rogue-324 February 2004
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merklekranz14 October 2007Every once in awhile a film greatly exceeds your expectations. Such a film is "Nobody's Baby". Like "Fargo" it is very re-watchable, holds your interest throughout, offers plot twists, and genuine believable feelings from the wonderful cast. It is funny, with some shocking violence, and gratuitous nudity thrown in. There is also a philosophical side to the movie about doing what's right, even though you personally will suffer. I highly recommend "Nobody's Baby" to those who enjoy edgy films like "Clay Pigeons", "Red Rock West", "The Killing Time", "A Simple Plan", "Dumber Than Dirt", Breakdown", "Buffalo 66". - MERK
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It was a real surprise to discover this film, that obviously went to video before it could have a theatrical release, or so it seems. David Seltzer's film deserved much better fate because it is a comedy with its heart in the right place.
How did this director/screen writer assemble this cast? The first thing that amazes is a Gary Oldman as we haven't seen him before. In fact, it takes a while to realize he is Buford! This actor is a chameleon as he shows in picture after picture. Buford depends on ChapSticks to relieve jean burns and never hesitates to borrow a tube from anyone at all!
The film shows the bond between Buford, the older convict, and Billy Raedeen, who met as children in an orphanage. Their friendship is something real, no matter where they might go, they'll be there for one another.
Skeet Ulrich's Billy was a role he was meant to play. Mr. Ulrich knows this guy and he gets a reprieve to make something out of his life when, by chance, he finds a baby in an automobile wreckage. This little baby will change his destiny, as Billy finds an extended family in the Nevada desert among misfits that welcome him into their little community.
Gary Oldman has one of the best moments of his career as Buford, the man who seems to be in permanent fog. He runs away with his role in a splashy performance. We get at the end a display of Mr. Oldman and Mary Steenburgen line dancing where both shine as gracious partners.
Radha Mitchell, Mary Steenburgen, Gordon Tootoosis, Anna Gunn, and the rest, make a great contribution to the film, under the tight direction of David Seltzer. -
gpadillo31 August 2004Nobody's Baby is a genuine sleeper!
I rented this having never heard of the film and going solely with my gut that Oldman would not disappoint. He doesn't. He turns in one of his most original and unexpected performances in this small but hilarious film. Knowing I'd be watching it again, I went out and found a new copy for $5!!!
A huge surprise came in the performance of Billy by Skeet Ulrich. Taking a fairly bland character and making him come alive, with the added job of having to play straight man to Oldman's over-the-top Buford, could not have been easy. Ulrich shows his acting chops and creates an instantly likeable goon. You find yourself immediately routing for the not-too-bright little bumpkin. When one realizes that he's the smarter of these pair of life-long friends and minor criminals there's little wonder that they've spent half their lives in jail. (One touching "tell" is when, along with the baby of the title Billy is asked to take have a picture snapped he automatically turns for a standard profile mug shot. Nice touches like abound throughout the film.)
A veritable smorgasbord of an ensemble is featured in the trailerpark misfits who adopt Billy and his new baby; Radha Mitchell; Mary Steenburgen, Gordon Tootoosis, Anna Gunn and the resident bad guy, Peter Green. Even two small but very important roles are filled by no less than Ed O'Neil and Matthew Modine!
Ulrich's Billy cements the entire film narrating as a series of letters to his precious "Little One" relating the tale of how she one day came into his life and changed his world and saved him.
While this is for the most part a gentle comedy, it is punctuated with a little violence, brief nudity and some truly black comedy (such as how Billy gets his new baby) which has evidently disturbed some viewers of the film. (Personally I found these dark moments hilarious.) Ultimately a very heartwarming and uplifting picture. I ended up buying the thing. Oh, yeah: stick around for the credits and watch Mary Steenburgen and Gary Oldman do a little line dancin' together . . . it's a hoot! -
acearms15 February 2004Two not so bright small time crooks end up with a baby girl by "accident" and find a change in their lives. Billy (Ulrich) becomes the guy to take care of the child and look after it. Buford (Oldman) wants to get rid of it, but the others they knit with are for doing the best they can. They conspire to rob a pawn shop to get the necessary money, only to end up heroes for stopping a heist already in play. At one point Billy starts to let the baby be adopted, but takes only 60 seconds to change his mind. And money appears when needed the most. The cast was great, Gordon Tootoosis, Anna Gunn, Peter Green and Mary Steenbrgen. In the end Billy is the father he wanted to be with the expectation he will marry Shauna Louise (Radha Mitchell) when she gets out of prison (You'll have to see the movie to find out why she's there). This would of been great family entertainment, but for the nudity and foul language, which, in my opinion added nothing but an "R" rating. Worth the time to watch and enjoy the humor. 7/10
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I wasn't expecting much from this but it was actually pretty good. It's one of those tasteless, dark comedies, with loser characters and goofball situations; following two escaped cons who try to make money off of an orphaned infant that one of them rescues from a fatal accident.
Skeet Ulrich plays the slightly more intelligent of the two, I wish he would get more roles because I always enjoy him and while I couldn't stand Gary Oldman's character (and may never be able to use Chapstick again) he does an amazing job here, almost unrecognizable. Good supporting cast too and a basically fun story. -
ctomvelu118 July 2009Skeet Ulrich plays a nobody on his way to Nevada who saves a baby from a burning car. The rest of the family unfortunately perishes before he can get to them. He decides to keep the baby, and much oddball and sometimes violent things follow this decision. He ends up with a group of folks, some of them prostitutes and one a mystical-type Native American straight out of Hollywood casting, and they become his family. He also has a buddy, played by an unrecognizable Gary Oldman, who comes to his rescue. Oldman is a hoot as a bottom-feeding con man. Ulrich isn't half-bad as this Johnny Depp-type NF who wants to call the baby his own. The occasional violence that occurs is jarring and dampens the otherwise feel-good mood of this quirky comedy. Plus the ending is pure fantasy, but what the hey. It's a semi-family film, so just enjoy. I think maybe the filmmakers watched RAISING ARIZONA once too often, as you will see when you watch NOBODY'S BABY.
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underfire3510 March 2003NOBODY'S BABY is somewhat an enigma of a production. The story begins with Billy (Skeet Ulrich) rescuing a baby from an automobile crash. The fate of the other occupants of said wreck does not leave one in a light-hearted mood. That is the main problem with this movie, it never finds the right tone for the material. The film goes from slap-stick hijinx to intense violence so quickly, it left me feeling uncomfortable. The character of Vern (Peter Greene) is so flat and sadistic, that he seems to be in another film altogether (Greene did play Zed in PULP FICTION); Vern never seems to connect with what is happening in the rest of the film. The narrative conflicts in NOBODY'S BABY are fairly contrived and melodramatic, never really becoming plausible situations.
I'll be honest with you, I rented this film only because Gary Oldman was in it. The fact that it went straight to video in Chicago, seemed odd to me; I mean Gary Oldman is in it right? Upon viewing NOBODY'S BABY, I began to understand why this was not given a theatrical release. Anyway, fans of Gary Oldman will not be disappointed. He crafts a grizzled and hickish buffoon, complete with ten-gallon hat and mutton-chop side whiskers. Here is a British actor who can do a New York accent better than most American performers, and, true to form, completes Buford with an over-the-top drawl direct from the Appalachian Mountains. His scenery-chewing is extremely fun to watch, and one might guess he took this role due to that opportunity. Stick around until the end to see Oldman and Mary Steenburgen line dancing (!), that's right...line dancing. Gary Oldman is, and remains, the best actor working today (also quite a good director, see NIL BY MOUTH), and manages to rise above the material of NOBODY'S BABY.
Overall, this is an uneven film (albeit with some humorous moments), but without the presence of Gary Oldman, it would have fallen into complete obscurity by now. 3/10 -
jensina29 January 2001This movie premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival and was a big hit with audiences. The cast was perfect and the title fit the storyline. I heard several women who enjoyed the movie so much, shhhh! Ladies Room Talk! The baby girl is so precious and cute too! This movie will give all of your emotions a good run! The plot really does touch me and the acting was superb! I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did!
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macateer410 August 2005This is a terrible Film...Why is Gary Oldman involved? i can only imagine he was doing someone a favour. Don't watch this film at all costs: plot is ridicules, script is terrible, acting is poor. Only the Sweetest Thing can rival this as the Worst Film Ever Made. I struggled to keep my eyes open watching this one. I really don't see how this film got made in the first place, it is neither a charming tale of an abandoned baby or a gross-out comedy, though it tries to skirt between the two. Some of the scenes seemed to be in bad taste the others were pointless. This should be straight-to-trash-can rather than straight-to-video. Never watch this film. Don't be fooled by any positive reviews on the cover, this is a terrible film.
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DiamondGirl4274 July 2010After watching this film..and finding that it came out in 2001...I wondered why I had never heard of it before now. The casting seemed just right and the storyline was as well. Garu Oldman never disappoints in any film he is in..he is one of the best actors in Hollywood. Skee Ulrich is underrated and deserves far more exposure than he has gotten. Over all...the writing done on this is outstanding...it told a story without stupid garbage being included. These characters are flawed...and are not perfect...just as people in real life are. There was just enough craziness put in to make you pay attention and not get bored...which is something too many films seem to do. Do not pass this movie up at the video store or on the movie channels..in favor of some predictable junk...you will not be disappointed.
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stevehansell12 September 2002At first I was thrown for a loop. Was this the Gary Oldman I had grown to love watching "A State of Grace" or "Leon the Professional" NOPE! It was that other side, the side we rarely see of this gifted actor. Add to that Skeet Ulrich and the two make a good..yes...comedic team. It wasn't a "Dumb" as Dumber and Dumber" but it had some of that "dumbness" to it! The premise here has been seen before, a little baby cared for by hapless guys who have their hands full! But the twists we get with Oldman and Ulrich not to mention great characters portrayed by class actors and actresses here makes the film a sure thing. Now it took me the first 30 minutes to get a feel for this movie but it gets going. I just wasn't sure how to take the Oldman and Ulrich characters...but it finally flowed for me and was well worth the watch.
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Jadeina15 August 2011I love "Nobody's Baby". I saw it when it first came out on video when I was about 12 and I loved it then. When I saw it last year I loved it still more. I thought it hilarious, heartwarming and exciting all at once. Yet nobody has heard of it. Nobody is raving about it. Why?
The basic plot is that an escaped convict rescues a baby from a car wreck (that he was partly responsible for) and grows deeply attached to it while trying to find it's family. He is completely clueless about what to do with a baby and is fortunately befriended by a friendly woman living in a trailer park. He moves into the trailer park with the baby, meets several very wacky people and gets in to lots of trouble whilst trying to do the right thing for his charge.
There are many insanely funny moments and are also shocking and dramatic scenes. The supporting characters are fantastic. What makes the movie work however is the relationship between Billy, the escaped convict, and the baby. He is immediately touched by the baby's innocence and helplessness and her presence provides him with a purpose, which he has been lacking his whole life. He was brought up in an orphanage himself and was never expected to make anything himself. He wants the baby to have a better chance in life than he did. His affection for the baby in turn affects the other characters in the movie as they see that love and selfless affection do exist. Billy himself is such an endearingly clueless character and is brilliantly played by Skeet Ulrich.
It's a heartwarming film but not void of pain or truth and it has a wonderfully touching ending. -
djbabu_308 March 2012Billy (Skeet Ulrich) and Buford (Gary Oldman) two old friends that, because being in trouble several times, spend their lives in jail. One day, traveling with other prisoners, Buford had a fight with one of them, in all the confusion they manage to escape but have lost each other. Billy couldn't imagine that a while after this moment his life would change forever... He's been a witness of a horrible family car crash,and he had the courage and strength to rescue the only survivor, a newborn innocent baby. Suddenly, the view of that little angel, touched the soul of happy and proud Billy, committing him to become a responsible man. With the help of Buford and some new friends he had met on the way Billy try to give a safe future to his precious little girl. You will be touched by this emotional and funny story. A baby can change a human being forever...Gary Oldman absolutely hilarious.
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We happened to catch this recently while staying in a hotel, and as we'd never heard of it, we weren't expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised, though, as this turned out to be a very enjoyable (and very funny) movie. Gary Oldman (as a goofy nerd that you want to dislike but simply can't) was amazing... we were halfway through the movie before we recognized him. Skeet Ulrich and Mary Steenburgen were also great... gosh, everyone was. We loved it. And we'll never think of Chapstick the same way again... We definitely recommend this for rental. And seems to be okay for older children, too, although I don't recall its rating. No sex, no major violence... only some pretty harmless (compared to a lot of PG13 movies) mischief.
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gina_legato10 March 2003Just because I'm a Gary Oldman fan does not mean I will enjoy the movie, even though his acting is ALWAYS noteworthy. "Nobody's Baby" was not only funny, it had a great story and I was wonderfully surprised by the great cast of characters. BRAVO Gary! You are a 'chameleon'!
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zstegman27 April 2005i never remember seeing anything about this movie or hearing about it coming out in the theaters. that is too bad because it would be great on the big screen.
this is a very sweet movie about a guy who seems to have lost his way and then comes across a baby who makes his life seem right. along with the baby he meets a waitress, a line dancer, an Indian and a blackjack dealer who all effect him and the babies life.
filled with all sorts of twists and quirk's this movie deserves recognition. it has a little of something for everyone in it and would make a perfect date movie for a movie night at home. very well written, good comedy and a good love story. definitely worth a watch. -
The film was screened last night at the USA FILM FESTIVAL here in Dallas, TX. Gary Oldman attended the screening, which followed a clip compilation tribute to the great actor. Oldman commented before the film started that he chose to be in it because he was tired of playing villains, and he wanted to do a comedy. NOBODY'S BABY is a comedy, albeit a somewhat disjointed comedy. The film opens by introducing the two main characters to us, Buford Dill played by Oldman, and Billy Raedeen played by Ulrich. We learn that Billy has been in Buford's care since they were kids in an orphanage. Evidently they have lived their lives in and out of jail, and seem very comfortable as long as they're together. When a frustrated judge decides to separate them for their next sentence, they stage a getaway during which Billy is separated from Buford anyway. During his hitching attempts Billy "acquires" a baby. I'll leave it at that so as not to spoil anything. The baby immediately proves to be a challenge causing our hero to seek help in the form of a coffee shop waitress played by Radha Mitchell, who some of you may remember as PITCH BLACK's heroine. She takes Billy to her trailer park in hopes that her friends can provide some assistance as well. Mary Steenburgen gives an unexpected but impressive performance as a bitter woman who recently gave up her own baby using the justification that she had nothing to offer it. At this point the film is now filled with an eclectic group of characters, including the token bad guy played by Peter Greene. Billy gets in touch with Buford, who rushes to the scene thinking the two of them can surely somehow profit from the baby. Things have changed however, as Billy has now grown fond of the little bundle of joy. As if his hands aren't full enough, he also finds himself developing a strong attachment to his coffee shop sweetheart, who belongs to the aforementioned trailer park bully. NOBODY'S BABY shows some obvious similarities to RAISING ARIZONA, but tries to be a bit more serious in parts. That seriousness causes the pacing of the film to seem off. We as the audience quickly miss the comedic moments, and wonder why the film is making such big emotional efforts. Ulrich is fairly good in his performance as the well-meaning Billy. Oldman really gets to ham it up as Buford, the line-dancing butt scratching dumb guy who Billy looks up to, for whatever reason. He plays the comic relief, and plays it to the hilt, and as usual does a terrific job convincing the audience that he's exactly what the character is supposed to be. In the moments when Buford is not in the scene, you'll miss him, and hope that he re-appears soon. This is a fun little film with a strong cast. There's nothing here you haven't seen before, but what is here plays out well. I personally hope this film finds a distributor, as I feel it could please many movie fans during a time where there is so much fluff.
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crystallburns20 January 2004I'm not much of a fan of Skeet Ulrich, but he did this one movie with Oldman and Mary Steenburgeon and the bad guy from the MASK (with Jim Carrey) called "Nobody's Baby". Ulrich and Oldman play a couple of orphans who nobody wants. When they get older, they stay in the system by doing stupid s*** and getting arrested. As they are being transported, another con brakes out and Ulrich has an opening to run, he does. He hikes and this man pulls over and says "If you fix my tire, I'll give you a ride." After he fixes the tire, the guy takes off. Later down the road he hitches with a truck and he's riding on the back of a moving van. The guy that stiffs him ends up right behind him. Ulrich gives him s***, flipping him off, mooning him, the guy gets p***ed off and swerves to cut the van off and detours into a ditch and kills everyone in the car. The van stops for a minuet, and then takes off like he doesn't want to see the cops. Ulrich jumps out to see if there are any surviors and hears the faint sound of a baby cry. He digs in through the car looking for it, and rescues just before situations get that much worse.
It was a wonderfully funny and moving comedy. Now, one of my personal favorites! I don't want to give anything else away, that was only the first 10 - 15 minuets of the movie! Enjoy! -
shawnartunnell5 December 2020A really sweet, funny, off-kilter movie, reminiscent of "Raising Arizona." Not for kids, though, due to a couple of minor violent episodes and some nudity. Note the incredibly talented cast.
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I sort of stumbled on this cruisin' through the Sundance Channels...I noticed via the "info" option on my digital cable service that Gary Oldman starred...and I immediately became interested. I wouldn't of noticed Oldman, due to the fact that he's totally unrecognizable playing an over the top, low class, unintelligent thief with a thick southern drawl. It's worth watching this movie solely for his portrayal...'cause you really won't see another character played so well. And, I'm talking in the leagues of Hoffman in "Rainman", Day-Lewis in "Gangs of NY", and yes even Winslet in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". I haven't even got into the rest of the strong cast of Mary Steenburgen,Skeet Ulrich, and Radha Mitchell. Although this picture is eccentrically humorous...it does a great job covering all the genres love, drama, adventure and even sadness. I walked away thinking "I'm glad I watched that."
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stuff4parks19 December 2003This film is worth seeing just for the Gary Oldman performance. It took several minutes to even recognize him. He is hysterical...you won't look at chapstick the same! The rest of the cast is good, too, with many top stars in unlikely roles.
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movieman_kev15 June 2004After causing the death of an entire family, by accident, ex-con Billy steals the living baby and won't give it up, in the putrid so-called comedy.
I should have known this film would suck when i saw that Skeet Ulrick was the main star. I should have known because, save for "The Omen", David Seltzer has been a one-man crap-fest. But I was tricked once again that the great Gary Oldman was in the cast, sadly proving that even he can't save a horridly incompetent film (see also the two crap movies that he starred in right before AND after this film: Hannibal and The Contender).
My Grade: D-
Where i saw it: Starz
Eye Candy: Tess (Robyn Adamson/full frontal twice) and Stormy (Anna Gunn/topless once)