Carbon Copy (1981)

Director:

Michael Schultz

Writer:

Stanley Shapiro (writer)

Release Date:

25 September 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Any resemblance between Father and Son is purely hysterical.

Plot:

A white corporate executive is surprised to discover that he has a black teen-age son who can't wait to be adopted into the...

Plot Keywords:

Racial | Racial Slur | Blaxploitation | Independent Film

Cast

George Segal	...	Walter Whitney
Susan Saint James	...	Vivian Whitney
Jack Warden	...	Nelson Longhurst
Dick Martin	...	Victor Bard
Denzel Washington	...	Roger Porter
Paul Winfield	...	Bob Garvey
Macon McCalman	...	Tubby Wederholt
Vicky Dawson	...	Mary Ann
Parley Baer	...	Dr. Bristol
Vernon Weddle	...	Wardlow
Edward Marshall	...	Freddie
Ed Call	...	Basketball Father
Angelina Estrada	...	Bianca
Carmen Filpi	...	Wino
Warren Munson	...	2nd Guard

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | UK:15 (video rating) (1987) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:PG

Company:

First City

Trivia:

Denzel Washington's first movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: In a close shot of Walter and Rodger where in the Rolls Royce driving the rear view mirror is missing and then when they pulled out to a long shot the rear view mirror was back in place.

Quotes:

Walter Whitney: I'm Jewish, my son is Black and my lawyer smokes pot. Don't tell me I'm not in trouble.
Victor Bard: Hey, it makes me feel better, and does not affect my judgement. I delivered the valedictorian speech at Harvard... completely stoned.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lo squartatore di New York (1982)

Soundtrack:

Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out

Funny and poignant

This was the first time I had seen Denzel Washington and our family really enjoyed the movie. We are a Black family, so the White dad buying into the stereotypes about Black people struck us as quite amusing and he deserved his comeuppance for his sorry thinking. The movie was funny and also touching. True, there was a lack of depth in some of the acting, but not all movies that are made contain a great amount of depth. For the most part, if you want to watch a movie that won't assault your eyes or ears, yet entertain you with some true and humorous depiction of slices of life, this is a good one to check out. I've been a Denzel fan ever since I saw "Carbon Copy" and it is a part of my "favorites" collection.