Paternity

Sometimes HBO will air the most random movies. I just watched "Paternity" again. I saw it back in the day and loved it then and now.

The story of a middle aged successful single bachelor who feels eomthing is missing in his life. He decides he wants a baby, but not a wife or girlfriend...just a baby. He hooks up with Maggie (Diangelo) who is a waitress who also plays the french horn saving for a trip to Paris. He offers her money to be the surrogate (not quite as common then as it is today) and she accepts. During the months that they are together while she's carrying the baby it's obvious to see that they are destined to fall in love, but while it may be predictable it is just very sweet.

Great chemistry between buddy and maggie (reynolds and diangelo).

It's a comedy based on the theme of "torture the star". Burt is the star, so he gets tortured. His character Buddy does strange things throughout the movie, making for an adventure into his life that is anything but predictable. Buddy has a big heart but many small character flaws. These flaws are what leads to the predicament he finds himself in and the progression of the film to it's conclusion is a true classic in romantic comedy. The film is a wonderfully done and although there are some adult scenes,nothing in it is graphic. It is just pure comedy. So open a bottle and enjoy this timeless classic with someone you love. Burt's impeccable timing and style make every scene is a work of art. Sadly Netflix seems to have forgotten to get a copy so you will have to look elsewhere to view it.

This is one of Burt Reynolds best from the 80's. Also starring Beverly D'Angelo in one of her best comedic roles, "Paternity" is a very funny, warm movie that is 20 years old. Burt is having a mid-life crisis and decides that he wants a son, but being the solid bachelor that he is, doesn't want a wife to go along. He decides to pay Beverly $50,000 to be his surrogate mother and have his son. A lot of funny moments and a great cast of co-stars make this a movie that you can watch over and over again. Interestingly enough, while watching this film I was having a paternity test done by www.dnacenter.com to find out who the real father of my baby was (I know, pretty crazy - eh?). Needless to say, it wasn't Burt's. :)

In his string of romantic comedy films, and even his car chase flicks, Burt Reynolds is never alone. There's always an eclectic cast of characters supporting him along the process...

But here's a movie where Burt, playing extremely subtle as a single successful guy who yearns to have a baby, seems completely isolated, at first, and not only because he wants the child born through a surrogate mother...

Other than Paul Dooley as his work buddy and Norman Fell as a shrink, there aren't too many outlets for the usual ensemble humor -- not the kind that would result in the signature blooper reel during the end credits...

Some of the best moments have Burt interviewing women for the job -- mostly ones he's dated in the past. And one particular insult battle with ornery Carol Locatell is a hilarious standout while on the classy side, Lauren Hutton turns in a cameo as perhaps the perfect candidate... leading to a chase through Manhattan, the buildings and skyline captured as if a character in itself...

Yet what brings real light to this unique lightweight comedy is Beverly D'Angelo as a waitress/music teacher needing money to study abroad...

She takes the gig and sleeps with Burt after a contrived yet still romantic date and, once impregnated, she lives at his bachelor condominium...

Of course they hang out enough for both to fall in love (D'Angelo's restroom conversation with Burt's lover Elizabeth Ashley is a standout): but it takes long enough to not be another New York City romantic-comedy. And while the ending is visible for miles, D'Angelo plays her part with enough vulnerable charm to make the turnout a happy instead of corny one. You'll be glad things worked out, if only for her sake.

Burt Reynolds is in fine form in "Paternity". His supporting cast is very likeable. There are a bunch of laughs in this movie. I laughed out loud quite a few times. That said, there are more smiles than there are laughs in "Paternity". The movie has a lot of charm but, after a while, it begins to feel a little long. "Paternity" never goes completely south but the fun factor decreases quite a bit as they try to slide into the love story part of the movie. "Paternity" is a pretty easy watch. It's not that different than a lot of the other romantic comedies that came out around that time. (I first saw this movie in the theater (Bellerose, NY) when it first came out.