Maybe Baby

Joely Richardson shines in Maybe Baby, about a thirtysomething British couple struggling to have a child. After dabbling in fertility rituals and having sex according to a rigorous ovulation schedule, Lucy (Richardson) and Sam (Hugh Laurie) find their relationship tested by temptation; Lucy starts to yearn for a hunky young actor that her talent agency is representing, and Sam starts writing a seriocomic screenplay about their infertility--which he doesn't tell Lucy about, because she's already forbidden him to write it. Everything is fine until Sam delves into her diary in order to get a better grip on a woman's consciousness and learns more than he bargained for. Maybe Baby is a sincere and lighthearted movie, sprinkled with comic turns from Emma Thompson, Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean), Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous), and others. Laurie is solid, but it's Richardson's charm and intelligence that makes it work. --Bret Fetzer