Zeus

Man, Woman And Child (1983)

• Director
  • Dick Richards
• Writers
  • Erich Segal
  • David Zelag Goodman
• Stars
  • Martin Sheen
  • Blythe Danner
  • Craig T. Nelson

  In this melodramatic story, a college professor and his family experience trauma and tears when the professor discovers that his one-time lover in France has recently died and left a son behind -- his son. When the young boy shows up on the doorstep because the shocked father can only do what is right and offer him a home, the professor (Martin Sheen), his wife (Blythe Danner), and their children -- as well as the boy -- face new issues in a crisis that threatens the once-cohesive family. Both Sheen and Danner carry their roles beyond the sappy limitations of the script, but neither can change an unsatisfactory ending meant only to bring out another handkerchief.