Paternity

Buddy Evans (Burt Reynolds) is the most eligible bachelor in New York managing Madison Square Garden. He's 44 and something is missing from his life. With his friends Larry (Norman Fell) and Kurt (Paul Dooley)'s advise, he decides to find a surrogate mother with whom to have a son. The search runs into various roadblocks including a misunderstanding with interior designer Jenny (Lauren Hutton). Maggie (Beverly D'Angelo) is a waitress at his diner hangout who gets accepted to study music in Paris. While chasing after Jenny, Buddy gets into a cab with Maggie. Buddy loses Jenny but Maggie needs the money and accepts the unusual proposal.

Burt Reynolds uses all of his roguish charms to make this one work. There are warning signs that my young mind probably didn't understand while watching this back in the day. Watching it today, Burt hanging out with a bunch of kids is awkward at best. Since it's Burt, it's still pretty funny. The most memorable sequence is chasing Lauren Hutton. It's so memorable that I conflated her character with Maggie. This has some awkward fun while able to maintaining a light-hearted feel.

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.

The bright spots in this movie are Elizabeth Ashley and New York City itself. They both photograph great. Burt is very natural and it is always good to see old pros like Juanita Moore & Norman Fell do their thing. Unfortunately Burt and Beverly have absolutely no chemistry what so ever. Beverly delivers her lines like she is reading them for the first time. Can't say anything about Lauren Huttin who I usually like because I missed the first 20 minutes and thats obviously when she was in it. That about sums up this typical 80's over produced movie. Burt plays a New York city bachelor who wants a kid but not a wife. Beverly plays the lucky gal who will have his baby for cash without any emotional strings attached. Do they fall in love? What do you think?

Burt Reynolds loves kids. Well after the opening of the film, we get a cringe-like song to listen to while us watch how Reynolds' character connects with children and how much they like him. Even Peter Billingsley (of "A Christmas Story" fame) digs him. The tagline spells out the story "He wants you to have his baby!" New York's most eligible playboy bachelor has just turned 44 and wants to have a child to fill the void in his life, but doesn't want to marry. So he decides to go about trying to find a surrogate mother, where he comes across a waitress who needs the money and doesn't want to be emotionally involved. So the two strikes up a no strings attached agreement, but soon enough they begin to fall for each other. Quite a predictable, but charmingly fashionable and playful old-fashion romantic comedy with a breezy performance by Burt Reynolds and a heart filled turn from Beverly D'Angelo. Even the support cast featuring Norman Fell, Paul Dooley, Lauren Hutton, Elizabeth Ashley and Juanita Moore shape up rather well. Reynolds' clueless character has some rather amusing scenes and complications, especially those when he is searching for his surrogate mother and then of course when he bumps into the ex-girlfriends. Light-hearted entertainment with very good performances.

"I'm a lawyer. Not a pimp."