Look Who's Talking Now!

Look Who's Talking Now! is a 1993 American romantic comedy film directed by Tom Ropelewski, serving as the third and final installment in the Look Who's Talking film series.^[1] The movie stars John Travolta and Kirstie Alley reprising their lead roles as James and Mollie Ubriacco, a married couple navigating family life with their young children, while introducing two talking dogs voiced by Danny DeVito and Diane Keaton that provide humorous inner monologues.^[2] Released on November 5, 1993, by TriStar Pictures, the 95-minute PG-rated film follows the Ubriaccos as they adopt a street-smart mutt and a pampered poodle, coinciding with James landing a pilot job under a flirtatious new boss, leading to comedic misunderstandings and romantic tension.^[3] With a budget of $22 million, it grossed approximately $10.4 million worldwide, marking it as a box office disappointment compared to its predecessors.^[4]^[5] The screenplay was written by Tom Ropelewski, Leslie Dixon, and series creator Amy Heckerling, building on the franchise's signature blend of slapstick humor and voiceover narration from the family's perspective—previously babies, now pets—to explore themes of parenthood, jealousy, and domestic chaos. Supporting cast includes Olympia Dukakis as Mollie's mother, Lysette Anthony as James's boss Samantha, and child actors David Gallagher and Tabitha Lupien as the Ubriacco kids, alongside the canine stars Rocks (voiced by DeVito) and Daphne (voiced by Keaton).^[2] Produced by Jonathan D. Krane and others under TriStar and North Shore Pictures, the film was shot primarily in Vancouver, Canada, incorporating holiday elements for a Christmas-themed release.^[6] Critically, Look Who's Talking Now! received largely negative reviews, with a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 25 critic scores, praised by some for the dog voices but criticized for formulaic plotting and diminished charm from the original.^[2] Roger Ebert awarded it 1 out of 4 stars, noting it as a lackluster sequel that failed to recapture the series' initial appeal.^[7] Despite its poor reception and commercial underperformance, the film contributed to the trilogy's legacy as a 1990s family comedy staple, though no further sequels were produced.^[1]

Plot

Mollie Ubriacco (Kirstie Alley) is frustrated with her husband James (John Travolta), a stay-at-home dad, for not having a steady job. On the first day of school, their daughter Julie (Tabitha Lupien) wants a dog, but their son Mikey (David Gallagher) does not. After dropping the kids off, Mollie discovers she has been fired from her job. On her way home, she finds a stray dog and brings it home. James and the kids name the dog Rocks. Meanwhile, James has an interview for a pilot position and gets the job. His new boss is the attractive and flirtatious Samantha (Lysette Anthony). Samantha makes sexual advances toward James, which he rebuffs. The family goes to a dog show where they encounter a pampered poodle named Daphne. The dogs' inner thoughts are voiced by Danny DeVito (Rocks) and Diane Keaton (Daphne), providing comic relief with their banter. Daphne ends up with the Ubriaccos after her owner abandons her. As Christmas approaches, tensions rise with Samantha's continued advances and family misunderstandings. The family gets stranded in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve, where Rocks and Daphne save them from wolves. The film ends with the family reunited and happy, emphasizing themes of loyalty and family bonds.^[8]

Cast

John Travolta as James Ubriacco
Kirstie Alley as Mollie Ubriacco
David Gallagher as Mikey Ubriacco
Tabitha Lupien as Julie Ubriacco
Lysette Anthony as Samantha D'Bonne
Olympia Dukakis as Rosie
Danny DeVito as Rocks (voice)
Diane Keaton as Daphne (voice)
Bruno the Dog as Rocks
Daisey the Dog as Daphne^[9]

Release

Reception

Upon its release, Look Who's Talking Now! received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics, who found the film formulaic and lacking the charm of its predecessors. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 0% Tomatometer score based on 25 reviews, with the consensus stating, "Look Who's Talking Now: Look away."^[2] Similarly, Metacritic assigns it a score of 26 out of 100 from 19 critics, with 63% of reviews rated negative, 32% mixed, and only 5% positive.^[10] Critics frequently criticized the film's contrived plot and reliance on talking animals, viewing it as a diminished sequel that prioritized sentimentality over substance. Roger Ebert awarded it one out of four stars, describing the storyline as unrealistic and the inclusion of talking dogs as unnecessary, likening the script to "automatic screenwriting output" that failed to recapture the first film's realism.^[7] In Variety, the review noted that while the dog voices by Danny DeVito and Diane Keaton provided some clever humor, the human storyline felt feeble and overworked, with inappropriate sexual innuendos clashing against its family-oriented premise.^[11] Janet Maslin of The New York Times called it "overly sentimental and cutesy," comparing it to an "over-dressed Christmas tree," though she conceded that the canine voice-overs were funnier than the infant monologues in prior entries.^[12] Audience reception was somewhat more forgiving but still lukewarm, reflecting a divide between nostalgic viewers and those expecting more depth. The film has a 29% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 4.4 out of 10 rating on IMDb from over 32,000 user votes, with many praising the lighthearted dog antics while acknowledging it as the weakest in the trilogy.^[2]^[1]

Box office

Look Who's Talking Now! was released theatrically in the United States on November 5, 1993, by TriStar Pictures, with a reported production budget of $22 million.^[1] The film opened in 1,858 theaters and earned $4,022,570 during its first weekend, accounting for approximately 39.5% of its total domestic gross and securing second place at the North American box office behind The Three Musketeers.^[5]^[4] Over its entire theatrical run, the movie grossed $10,340,263 in North America, with no significant international earnings reported, resulting in a worldwide total of $10,340,263.^[4] This performance represented a sharp decline from its predecessors in the franchise—Look Who's Talking (1989) earned $297 million worldwide, and Look Who's Talking Too (1990) grossed $47.8 million—making it the lowest-grossing entry and a commercial disappointment that failed to recoup its budget through theatrical revenues alone.^[13]