If you can get past a truly weak opening, you might find yourself getting into this past the introduction of confirmed playboy Bill Bixby to his illegitimate son (Darrell Larson) which has absolutely no build up and lays there like an unhatchable egg. A few scenes into the movie, it does begin to show potential as Bixby begins to show some interest in the young man whose mother is dead and who is very Christian and shocked when one of Bixby's girlfriends wants to share a shower with him.
High marks are given to the casting of Jack Albertson and Anne Sothern as Bixby's wealthy parents with Albertson a power holding businessman and Sothern a dizzy socialite who loves interfering in his romantic life. She's obviously trying to push him together with his beautiful secretary, Diane Baker, but her methods are rather embarrassing which makes her a fun character you're glad you do not know. When they see Bixby with Larson, they assume that he's gay and this leads to a series of ridiculous scenes that shows how out of touch his parents are as well as the writer even taking the film down to this level.
My issue with this film is that the whole plot line feels forced and everything is accepted simply because it is written in the script. This is what is referred to as "paint by numbers" where the writer sings that the audience will believe the entire situation just because they are witnessing it. Bixby's acting comes off as forced and awkward at the beginning but he seems to gradually feel comfortable, and while Larson isn't exactly very strong as an actor here, he does make you like him. So in spite of flaws, this is watchable, but there's a sense of missed opportunities that could have been explored, especially with Larson being an extremely young conservative and Bixby being a complete out there liberal.
High marks are given to the casting of Jack Albertson and Anne Sothern as Bixby's wealthy parents with Albertson a power holding businessman and Sothern a dizzy socialite who loves interfering in his romantic life. She's obviously trying to push him together with his beautiful secretary, Diane Baker, but her methods are rather embarrassing which makes her a fun character you're glad you do not know. When they see Bixby with Larson, they assume that he's gay and this leads to a series of ridiculous scenes that shows how out of touch his parents are as well as the writer even taking the film down to this level.
My issue with this film is that the whole plot line feels forced and everything is accepted simply because it is written in the script. This is what is referred to as "paint by numbers" where the writer sings that the audience will believe the entire situation just because they are witnessing it. Bixby's acting comes off as forced and awkward at the beginning but he seems to gradually feel comfortable, and while Larson isn't exactly very strong as an actor here, he does make you like him. So in spite of flaws, this is watchable, but there's a sense of missed opportunities that could have been explored, especially with Larson being an extremely young conservative and Bixby being a complete out there liberal.