Burt Reynolds stars as a guy who wants to have kids without having a woman involved in the “comedy” Paternity. New from Kino Lorber.
The Film
What the 1980s pawned off as comedy is wild. What was once quaint and charming is on the border of unacceptable. Paternity takes all of the charms of Superstar Burt Reynolds and flushes it down the toilet.
Rich man about town Buddy Evans (Reynolds) gets an itch to have a kid. The problem is that he doesn’t want to have to deal with the whole mother/female of the situation. So, he plans to pay a woman to do his bidding and have his child. Enter Maggie (Beverly D’Angelo), a struggling musician, agrees. 1980s greed is good shenanigans ensue.
The problem is that this is a film with basement-bottom morals and thinks it’s funny that Reynolds is a charming cleft asshole. It’s not just eye-rollingly crass that they think that Reynold’s Buddy attempts to control every part of Maggie’s life. Sounds somewhat familiar in today’s political atmosphere and completely unacceptable during any era.
The problem is that after all this shitty behavior Paternity thinks that they can turn Buddy into some sort of progressive man but showing none of the hard work required. Like many films of the 1980s, there’s a pop song montage, and voila … cured!!! To add insult to injury the film thinks that D’Angelo’s character would accept what Buddy thinks of as an apology.
Paternity is a lot of things, but comedy is not one of them.
The Transfer
The all-new HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative regardless of the quality of the film is a wonderful upgrade in every sense of the word. The film looks radiant without any signs of wear and tear, a spotless representation of the film. One wonders if the film looked this good during its initial theatrical run. Kino has done a wonderful job with this HD master and what you expect from an upgraded transfer – sharp and without faults.
The Extras
Audio Commentary by Entertainment Journalists/Authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
2 TV Spots
The Audio Commentary by Entertainment Journalists/Authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry opens with opening sequence and the trope of starting with the “day in the life on”. Some of the other details include the song that opens the film Baby Talk – including it was nominated for a Razzy; the squirrel that appears which was a trained animal; the title sequence which consists of real baby photos; the development of the film itself – including other failed projects that Reynolds was involved with; the reasons why Reynolds wanted to make this film or a film around kids; the career and personal history of young actor (at the time) Peter Billingsley – including a great story about the making of the Reynolds episode of Dinner for Five; the career and personal history of director David Steinberg; the casting what if’s for what would eventually be played by Beverly D’Angelo; the strike that occurred during the filming; the work and personal history of Lauren Hutton; a discussion of the later career of Burt Reynolds and the troubles he had getting work and issues with Hollywood – including a crazy story about Joel Silver; the work and career of cinematographer Bobby Byrne; the work and career of Juanita Moore; the box office success or failure; some of the various projects at the time that Burt Reynolds almost came to production – including the Terms of Endearment Jack Nicholson role; a discussion of the various crew that worked on the film; a larger discussion of the various locations in NYC they used; a discussion throughout the commentary track about the various actors and their work here and throughout their careers; and much more. Reesman and Evry deliver an entertaining and informative track – including quotes from various cast and crew from various sources about the film.
2 TV Spots (0:58)
Rounding out the special features are trailers for Malone (2:10); Rent-a-Cop (2:16); Breaking In (2:04); The Last Married Couple in America (2:35); The Four Seasons (2:25); Continental Divide (2:52); All Night Long (1:41); The Wrong Guy(1:36)
The Final Thought
Paternity is a relic of the 1980s. Those who find its charms will find this edition with its beautiful transfer a great upgrade.
Burt Reynolds stars as a guy who wants to have kids without having a woman involved in the “comedy” Paternity. New from Kino Lorber.
The Film
What the 1980s pawned off as comedy is wild. What was once quaint and charming is on the border of unacceptable. Paternity takes all of the charms of Superstar Burt Reynolds and flushes it down the toilet.
Rich man about town Buddy Evans (Reynolds) gets an itch to have a kid. The problem is that he doesn’t want to have to deal with the whole mother/female of the situation. So, he plans to pay a woman to do his bidding and have his child. Enter Maggie (Beverly D’Angelo), a struggling musician, agrees. 1980s greed is good shenanigans ensue.
The problem is that this is a film with basement-bottom morals and thinks it’s funny that Reynolds is a charming cleft asshole. It’s not just eye-rollingly crass that they think that Reynold’s Buddy attempts to control every part of Maggie’s life. Sounds somewhat familiar in today’s political atmosphere and completely unacceptable during any era.
The problem is that after all this shitty behavior Paternity thinks that they can turn Buddy into some sort of progressive man but showing none of the hard work required. Like many films of the 1980s, there’s a pop song montage, and voila … cured!!! To add insult to injury the film thinks that D’Angelo’s character would accept what Buddy thinks of as an apology.
Paternity is a lot of things, but comedy is not one of them.
The Transfer
The all-new HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative regardless of the quality of the film is a wonderful upgrade in every sense of the word. The film looks radiant without any signs of wear and tear, a spotless representation of the film. One wonders if the film looked this good during its initial theatrical run. Kino has done a wonderful job with this HD master and what you expect from an upgraded transfer – sharp and without faults.
The Extras
The Audio Commentary by Entertainment Journalists/Authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry opens with opening sequence and the trope of starting with the “day in the life on”. Some of the other details include the song that opens the film Baby Talk – including it was nominated for a Razzy; the squirrel that appears which was a trained animal; the title sequence which consists of real baby photos; the development of the film itself – including other failed projects that Reynolds was involved with; the reasons why Reynolds wanted to make this film or a film around kids; the career and personal history of young actor (at the time) Peter Billingsley – including a great story about the making of the Reynolds episode of Dinner for Five; the career and personal history of director David Steinberg; the casting what if’s for what would eventually be played by Beverly D’Angelo; the strike that occurred during the filming; the work and personal history of Lauren Hutton; a discussion of the later career of Burt Reynolds and the troubles he had getting work and issues with Hollywood – including a crazy story about Joel Silver; the work and career of cinematographer Bobby Byrne; the work and career of Juanita Moore; the box office success or failure; some of the various projects at the time that Burt Reynolds almost came to production – including the Terms of Endearment Jack Nicholson role; a discussion of the various crew that worked on the film; a larger discussion of the various locations in NYC they used; a discussion throughout the commentary track about the various actors and their work here and throughout their careers; and much more. Reesman and Evry deliver an entertaining and informative track – including quotes from various cast and crew from various sources about the film.
2 TV Spots (0:58)
Rounding out the special features are trailers for Malone (2:10); Rent-a-Cop (2:16); Breaking In (2:04); The Last Married Couple in America (2:35); The Four Seasons (2:25); Continental Divide (2:52); All Night Long (1:41); The Wrong Guy(1:36)
The Final Thought
Paternity is a relic of the 1980s. Those who find its charms will find this edition with its beautiful transfer a great upgrade.
Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray edition of Paternity is out now
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