“Man Baby” follows David, whose manhood falls off and starts talking to him after finding out that his girlfriend is pregnant.
Right from the start, you’ll know what you’re in for with “Man Baby.” The synopsis doesn’t lie, and it moves into this narrative within a matter of seconds.
From a visual perspective, “Man Baby” features a number of distinguishable traits. David Witchell’s cinematography is simplistic, typically keeping shots still. But he also intermittently mixes in slow pans and quick zoom-ins and zoom-outs alongside some handheld footage. In the framing of David’s girlfriend, Martha, the film purposefully focuses on her stomach and excludes her face from shots for the majority of the runtime. This is insightful, as it emphasizes that his biggest fear isn’t her, but what’s inside of her. “Man Baby” also adds in effects, not only with pink lines surrounding the central character during dream sequences, but also entire animated scenes. These insertions bring extra style to typical settings while also serving as manifestations of David’s inner feelings.
What does everyone really want to know, though? You’re probably wondering how… the penis looks. It’s not hyper-realistic (which is probably a good thing), but it serves its purpose, which is delivering laughs. With a low budget, you may expect “Man Baby” to be light on the appendage. It’s not. There is impressive practical puppetry work on display that brings the body part to life through speaking and movement alike.
You’ll likely find humor whenever Aakash Shukal’s voice emerges from the “creature.” It’s not overdone, being the perfect mixture of weird and hilarious while still getting the point across.
Because, ultimately, “Man Baby” is a movie about fatherhood — or the anxiety of entering it, that is. The metaphor itself is evident, with David needing to “grow up” before regaining his manhood. There are moments where the movie dives deep into this topic, but it can sometimes be hard to take it seriously. Especially considering, well… the talking penis. If you can look past that, however, the film offers weirdly relatable insights into this fear of becoming a parent.
After the initial novelty wears off, “Man Baby” begins to lose steam. Around the 20-minute mark, specifically, a 10-minute-long recurring dream sequence stunts much of the momentum that the film had. It’s similar to another 2026 release, “Balls Up,” which follows executives who pitch a full-coverage condom sponsorship with the World Cup. Many of the problems with “Balls Up” are also present here; underneath the raunchy surface, there’s only so far the concept can go.
One can also argue that the film contains some slight continuity errors. For example, the central character has a hat on in one scene, then it’s off the next, but… then it’s back on the next. On top of this, the same outfits are worn on repeat despite large stretches of time passing. Some of this can be explained away through “dreams,” but it’s not the perfect excuse. While not a major flaw, it can be distracting if you have an eye for these details.
While “Balls Up” had a 104-minute runtime, “Man Baby” doesn’t overstay its welcome. With only a 78-minute length, Florence Beam’s editing keeps the film flowing — moving through ideas with minimal “fluff” in between. In the process, it also further embraces its innate weirdness rather than abandoning it. This culminates in a final act that includes multiple talking body parts and, of course, Man Baby.
The fact that it goes “full absurd” is what allows the movie to truly shine.
“Man Baby” is a blending of genres, being comedy, horror and drama. At times, you’ll be laughing at a talking penis. In others, you’ll be staring face to face with a creepy-looking “Man Baby.” At the end, you’ll witness an emotional moment between partners. No matter how jarring the shifts may be, they typically end up feeling cohesive.
This is much to the thanks of writer-director Philip Hardy. While the film occasionally veers overboard in some of its comedic quests, Hardy mostly shows restraint. The central purpose of “Man Baby” is to make the audience laugh, but he knows there also has to be more. There is a heartfelt message here that manages to stick even through all the bizarreness surrounding it.
Christopher Schlechte-Bond’s score is integral to “Man Baby” as well. These tracks are sewn into the fabric of the film’s identity, with humming vocals or voices screaming “Man Baby” accompanying the action. These sounds are darkly comedic in moments while also being almost frightening in others.
Divian Ladwa (David) stars in the film. His performance is usually tame, and purposefully so. With the over-the-top voice work from Shukal around him, his calmness almost makes everything seem funnier. “Man Baby” is a meta movie, but Ladwa’s performance makes it appear that his character views everything as normal.
“Amen, brother.”
Alongside Ladwa and Shukal is also Kerry Fitzgerald (Martha, plus others). She brings a lot to the table, portraying several different characters. At times, Fitzgerald is meant to be a tempting presence, while in others purely judgmental. She nails the different personas.
“Man Baby” is an over-the-top examination of parental anxiety. The film doesn’t shy away from being weird, boasting impressive “appendage work” that will have you laughing at every turn. It’s absurd, but also relatable.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
“Man Baby” previously closed the Lund Fantastic Film Festival in 2025 and opened the LOCO London Comedy Film Festival for its UK premiere on May 7, 2026.
