Paternity (film)
| Paternity | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | David Steinberg |
| Produced by |
Lawrence Gordon Hank Moonjean |
| Written by | Charlie Peters |
| Starring |
Burt Reynolds Beverly D'Angelo Paul Dooley Elizabeth Ashley Lauren Hutton |
| Music by | David Shire |
| Cinematography | Bobby Byrne |
| Edited by | Donn Cambern |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates | October 2, 1981 |
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $18,838,812[1] |
Paternity is a 1981 American comedy film directed by David Steinberg, and stars Burt Reynolds, Beverly D'Angelo, Paul Dooley, Elizabeth Ashley and Lauren Hutton.[2] The film was released by Paramount Pictures on October 2, 1981.
Plot
Buddy Evans (Reynolds) manages events at Madison Square Garden in New York. He is a confirmed bachelor who lives with his housekeeper Celia (Moore). After coming into contact with several children, Buddy decides that he is ready to be a father. Buddy decides to hire a surrogate mother in the hope of having a son.
With help from his pals Larry (Fell) and Kurt (Dooley), Buddy conducts a search by setting up interviews. However, he offends many of the women who he speaks to, even mistaking an interior decorator (Hutton) for a surrogate applicant. Buddy meets up with Maggie (D'Angelo), a waitress at the local coffee shop. She reveals that she is an aspiring musician who works as a food server to make ends meet. Maggie offers to bear Buddy's child, planning to use the money that Buddy is offering to move to Paris and pursue her goal. Buddy and Maggie attempt to conceive with little success. Maggie then engages in some seductive role-playing. The two have sex and Maggie becomes pregnant. Maggie moves into Buddy's apartment. Buddy obsessively supervises Maggie's exercise and diet. Otherwise he pays little attention to her, continuing to date other women.
Maggie not only resents being ignored, begins to want to keep her baby. Buddy becomes angry at the thought of losing the son he wants so much. But he begins to develop romantic feelings for Maggie as well. He also becomes fearful of losing the child after Maggie gives birth. Buddy and Maggie marry, and it is revealed that they are the parents of their three daughters.
Cast
- Burt Reynolds as Buddy
- Beverly D'Angelo as Maggie
- Lauren Hutton as Jenny
- Norman Fell as Larry
- Paul Dooley as Kurt
- Elizabeth Ashley as Sophia
- Juanita Moore as Celia
- Peter Billingsley as Tad
Reception
"Baby Talk," composed by David Shire with lyrics by Dave Frishberg, won the 1981 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song.
References
- ↑ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=paternity.htm
- ↑ Variety film review; September 23, 1981.
External links
- Paternity at the Internet Movie Database
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