Paternity Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Paternity Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 31, 2024

David Steinberg's "Paternity" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include an exclusive new audio commentary by entertainment journalists and critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry as well as vintage TV spots. In English, with optional Enlgish SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Paternity is supposed to be a silly romantic comedy. The original theatrical poster created for it in the early 1980s has a smiling Burt Reynolds pointing a finger at you, the viewer, and underneath him is the following statement: “He wants you to have his baby”. It could not be any clearer what type of cinematic entertainment this poster is preparing for, could it?

But what are the chances that Paternity was conceived to make you think, too? Is this possible? Can a silly romantic comedy be a thought-provoking film, too? Well, it depends on how flexible your definition of silly romantic comedy is. Or, just how flexible your definition of silly is. If taken out of context, a lot that happens around us can appear silly. For example, a man who has not showered in months trying to wash a stranger’s windshield at a busy crossroad before the red light turns green can appear silly, right? Another man standing in front of your favorite coffee shop gesturing and talking loudly without anyone next to him can appear silly, too, right? But only a few extra details about these men and their actions can dramatically alter your perception of what you see and hear them doing, and how you profile them as well.

If you are beginning to suspect that I am doing my best to prepare you to see Paternity as a multi-layered, intellectual film carefully disguised as a silly comedy, you are wrong. I am not. The original theatrical poster I mentioned earlier sells it right. However, I am convinced that you will end up enthusiastically agreeing with more than a few of its messages, even though they are supposed to be only silly, and I encourage you to ponder why. Is it because the messages reveal interesting truths? Or could it be because your definition of silly needs a serious tune-up?

In Paternity, the catalyst of everything that appears silly is Buddy Evans’ (Reynolds) sudden realization that he might be running out of time to leave a permanent footprint proving that he has existed. As an enormously successful businessman, Buddy has already left his footprint in New York City, but what he has in mind is something very, very different -- a son. The problem is, Buddy likes his life the way it is. It can be tweaked a bit, meaning that he could do some of the things fathers ought to do, but marrying a woman to be his wife and the mother of his son is a dealbreaker. Marriage does not make sense to Buddy. It is like committing to a lease for a product of unknown quality with a million restrictions and without an end date. What sane man would want to do it? So, to avoid the lease scenario, Buddy offers Maggie (Beverly D’Angelo) $50,000 to be a surrogate, and after their lawyers shake hands, the two go to work to make a baby. However, after Maggie conceives, the two unexpectedly begin falling in love.

David Steinberg’s directorial debut is a classic product of the 1980s. It is light and colorful, oozing positive energy that softens its rough spots and makes it exceptionally easy to like. It is the kind of film you will be happy to end your day with.

It offers truths, too. The key word here is offers. It does not demand that you recognize and accept them, like some other similar films from the 1980s do, they are just there to be pondered. These truths emerge from the supposedly ridiculous situations its stars enter and the silliness that materializes while they struggle to behave as normal adults. What are some of these truths? Naming them could be a major spoiler, but here’s a sample: the two sexes share the same unforgiving biological clock and its effects on their psyche are identical.

The supporting cast includes Lauren Hutton, Norman Fell, Paul Dooley, Elizabeth Ashley, and Juanita Moore.

Paternity Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Paternity arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Paternity looks incredible after it was fully restored in 4K at Paramount. The quality of its visuals is pretty much what I expect to see from a proper, beautiful native 4K presentation of a fully restored older film. So, for my money, this release should be compared to The Big Bus, which is sourced from another incredible 4K master that was prepared at Paramount.

Delineation, clarity, and depth were tremendous on my system. Image stability is excellent. Arguably the most impressive strength of the new 4K makeover, however, is the fantastic color scheme. It produces gorgeous, remarkably healthy primaries and supporting nuances that give the film a lush organic appearance you would have experienced if you saw it in the best theater in your neck of the woods in the early 1980s. The surface of the visuals is immaculate. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Paternity Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The strength of the audio track is immediately recognizable because it sounds full and thick. There are no fluctuations in terms of clarity and sharpness. Dynamic intensity is very good, but there are no action sequences producing memorable fireworks. The music score sounds lovely, too, but it has only a supporting role. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Paternity Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by entertainment journalists and critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry.

• TV Spots - presented here are a couple of vintage U.S. TV spots for Paternity. Sourced from VHS. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

Paternity Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Do not tell a beautiful woman that she is beautiful. To be safe, you tell her that she has a nice bone structure, and then you keep on walking. In the 1980s, most men and women could see how ridiculous their interactions were becoming, and because it was still easy to poke fun at the ridiculous, they repeatedly did it. Most men and women enthusiastically targeted their insecurities, too, which is a practice that has always produced wonderful laughs. There is a lot of poking going on in Paternity and plenty of it is pretty silly, but many truths are spoken, too. However, Paternity does not force its audience to accept these truths, they are just there for anyone willing to acknowledge that all are still as relevant as they were several decades ago. RECOMMENDED.