Man vs Baby is a short Christmas comedy series that just released on Netflix, a sequel of sorts to Man Vs Bee (2022) but can stands very well on its own. The story follows Trevor Bingley (Rowan Atkinson) through various misadventures of trying to provide for his daughter’s university education while juggling an abandoned baby that he can’t quite manage to hand off to the authorities. I watched all 4 episodes the night it came out and discovered a profound message straight from the Bible, which may, or may not, have been intended by the writers.
The first thing that struck me in this movie is the character of Trevor. He’s down on his luck. His wife left him and he is struggling to make ends meet financially. But throughout the story, he is seen as making responsible, mature, and self-sacrificial choices. A vast different from Atkinson’s more famous character, Mr. Bean. In fact, at times it seems that Trevor is the most responsible person in the story. He spends the entire show putting the needs of others first, displaying un-expected compassion, and facing his many challenges with an impressively good attitude.
When a baby is left on the doorstep of the school where Trevor works, he assumes it is the child volunteered to serve as Baby Jesus in the children’s nativity play, but when nobody claims the child after the play is finished, Trevor has no choice but to care for him. He does all the right things, talking to the police, and child services, but through various comic, but mostly believable, situations, he can’t manage to offload the child and so must take it with him to London where he will be house-sitting – a job that will pay him the funds needed for his daughter’s education.
Along the way, we see Trevor connect and interact with various characters. Each have their own problems. And this is where the story leans into its thematic message. Trevor prepares a beautiful Christmas feast for the owners of the house he is looking after, but when they change their plans and pull out at the last second, Trevor ends up sharing this feast with various characters who are ultimately undeserving, but all in real need.
When I saw the end of this story, I could help but think of a story that Jesus once told, which can be found in the Bible passage Luke 14:15-24. A man had prepared a banquet and he invited a crowd of important people. But one by one they all gave various excuses why they couldn’t attend.
The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
“‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.
In the end, Man Vs Baby is essentially a re-telling of this parable. I can’t know if this was a deliberate choice on the part of the writers, but the similarity is so striking I can’t not see it. This is a beautiful story of grace. None of these characters really deserved to be there at this feast, and yet, they all needed to be there. They were all desperate in their own way. Trevor excercised compassion to them all and welcomed them in. And I think that’s a beautiful Christmas message.
Everyone’s taste in entertainment is different, especially when it comes to comedy, but I would highly recommend Man Vs Baby as an addition to your Christmas viewing.
I’m taking part on a Synchroblog with a few friends who are all writing posts on the subject of Christmas. You can find their writings below.
- Meaningful Gifts by Dience Darling
- In Our Hands by Steph Penny
- 10 Blessings of God at Christmas by Susan Barnes
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That really is a grace-filled story, thanks for sharing, Adam. I like to think that these types of stories come from writers who had some sort of Christian teaching as children, and from time to time, without them even realising, it seeps out in their writing. Regardless, God works in mysterious ways, so I hope/pray the writer(s) take the time to reflect more deeply on the story they have written.
I’ve been meaning to watch that! Thanks for the recommendation and the way you’ve pointed out that parable. I’ll be keeping an eye out for that now. I’m glad I actually read your blog first before watching!
Thanks for the rec, Adam! The parallel you draw to Jesus’ parable about welcoming and inclusivity is really interesting. Reminds me of the final scene in The Muppets’ Christmas Carol, but perhaps that’s because I love that movie! Have a great Christmas.
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