Carbon Copy *** (1981, George Segal, Denzel Washington, Susan Saint James, Jack Warden) – Classic Movie Review 10,171

‘I lost my job, my house, my Rolls Royce, my family left me… what else can possibly go wrong?’ ‘Hi, Dad!’

Director Michael Schultz’s 1981 comedy drama Carbon Copy stars George Segal as straight-laced, rich, white corporate executive Walter Whitney, who discovers he has a long-lost son, black teenager Roger Porter (Denzel Washington).

This uneven, predictable comedy swings from the occasional sharp and pointed jibe to more obvious and stereotypical easy laughs. Conscious of his awkward subject, writer Stanley Shapiro keeps the humour lightweight and pleasant and is helped by the likeable duo of Segal and Washington (in his cinema movie debut, aged 26).

The comedy is given added irony by the unlikely plot device that Segal has hidden that he is Jewish from his stuffy colleagues.

Also in the cast are Susan Saint James, Jack Warden, Dick Martin, Paul Winfield, Vicky Dawson, Tom Poston, Macon McCalman, Parley Baer, Vernon Weddle, Edward Marshall, Ed Call, and Angelina Estrada.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,171

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