Too Young to Be a Dad

In reading the comments, I notice there is quite a bit written about "Too Young to be a Dad" that focus on the fact that at 15, the young boy in the film didn't feel ready to continue having sex with the more experienced young woman, who becomes pregnant.

I'm not sure why that detail was included in the script, except it was probably meant to convey that he was a little more fine-tuned than other kids his age, and therefore would make the decisions he made later on in the film.

But "Too Young to be a Dad" isn't about whether or not this kid wanted to have sex and whether or not this makes him gay or strange. It's about the reactions of two families, notably the boy's, to his getting a girl pregnant and its ramifications. Two of the finest actors around, Kathy Baker and Bruce Davison, play the boy's parents, because the story is about them as well.

In this film, the boy takes full responsibility for his part in the pregnancy, and the focus is on him rather than the girl, which is a different take, and also why this, as well as "Unwed Father" was shown on Father's Day. His actions are commendable, and the point is well made, though there are some script elements that are bothersome. First of all, what kind of a place did these people live in? The committee members the mom deals with, the kids on the bus, etc., all act as if the girl was impregnated by an alien, and they'd never heard of such a thing. Hello, teen pregnancy is QUITE common. Secondly, unlike the harsh realities of "Unwed Father," this boy is able to make his decision knowing he has tons of support from his parents and his sister - which makes it a lot easier.

Nevertheless, the movie is well-acted with some lovely scenes, particularly the one between Davison and Baker when she brings him his coffee after he loses his temper.

Pregnancy has consequences, something often lost in the fantasy of wanting a baby. The young girl in this film had no such fantasy, but many young girls do. It's good to have a few movies around that focus on adoption, parent reactions, and decisions that need to be made.

This message was horrible where the parent(s) would be adopting a child. You also portrayed a 15 year old to want to hold on so tight and not know the responsibilities of raising a child, health and the expenses until the baby is 18 years old. WTH? When he is 18 the baby would be 3 years old, then what? It would have been better off with adopted parents to help the "BABY" grow in a healthy environment. Let the young boy grow up, go to college if so desired, and get to where he could later afford to help his child. THE mother requested that she get back to her own life after the baby is born, she was disrespected of her wishes. The message gives children the idea that it is ok not to be responsible and their parents will "rescue" them," You made it so horrible that it was ok for teen pregnancy.

Oh no, another made-for-TV movie about teen pregnancy...where's the remote? That's what I said when I first flipped the channel to Lifetime and "Too Young to be a Dad" was on. But since nothing else was on, I decided to watch it. And I'm glad that I did.

This movie was put a great, new twist on teen pregnancy. After Matt, a 15 year old boy, has sex with Francesca (another 15 year old), he learns that she's pregnant. Usually, films focus on the girl, but this movie chose not to. Instead, it focuses on Matt, the boy, for a change. It's a refreshing new movie about a boy who's "Too Young to be a Dad".

I saw this movie the night it aired on Lifetime for the first time, and I thought it was pretty much stupid. What 15 year old boy doesn't like sex? I don't know, the acting was okay, not all that great, and the baby was too old to be considered a newborn that they just brought home from the hospital. I wouldnt watch this movie again because it just didn't make sense to me, first everyone is mad at him, then theyre all happy at the end? i've seen teenage parenthood, its not all fun and games and sweet and nice as they make it out to be in the movies, nobody is ever truly ok in the end. The movie all in all didn't make sense and it wasnt realistic at all.

This movie is so unusual and so good it actually presents a problem. Since you can only talk about it in superlatives, it'll seem as if you have a political interest in the issue of teen pregnancy. I'm not married, never had kids, am not an activist in this arena on either side of the fence.

I watched it because Paul Dano's performance is mesmerizing...but then so are the performances of everyone in the cast. The script is so true-to-life, it's achingly realistic.

If I could, I'd buy this for a child of either gender who has or is about to reach puberty. More than anything, Too Young to Be a Dad shows the incredibly powerful feelings involved in procreation and how different they are from the incredibly powerful hormones involved in too-youthful premarital sex.