This movie is above all an unflinching time-capsule that takes you back to the 1970s. It was interesting to me because in the 70s, I was a very young child, and was only dimly aware of many cultural issues of the time. "Racial" or ethnic issues were of course very prominent at that time, but society was at a very different stage in terms of dealing with them and reconciling various groups. Then there is the issue of gender roles and so on. In the 1970s people were trying to deal with these issues, but in a way that, to our 21st-century eyes, seems very ham-handed, if well-intentioned.
Some of the actors do relatively well, others don't; meanwhile, the writing and direction are very odd at times. In one scene, after his Black foster son gets in trouble with the law, Joe Bologna's character gives a monologue in which he recalls his own childhood as a White "juvenile delinquent" in a tough neighborhood. While somewhat naive in that it ignores ethnic issues, his monologue at least recognizes the commonalities between the experiences of a poor White boy and his Black foster son. This leads him to develop a degree of empathy with the boy.
On the other hand, Tom Bosley puts in a brief appearance as the cartoonish "racist neighbor" who seems to react with delight when Bologna's character gives the boy a spanking for misbehaving in the bath. Scenes like this--a White man spanking a Black boy whom he has only recently met--were played for laughs at the time, but would seem shocking to most people today. I think that one has to view this movie in the context of its time, and consider the intentions of the director and actors--even if the execution was sometimes hamfisted.
Another thing about the movie that could be shocking to modern audiences is the children's "vocabulary," let's say--sprinkled liberally with swear words and ethnic slurs. In a strange way, the sheer political incorrectness of this movie can be refreshing, even as it shocks us at the same time. It's definitely not a "great" movie, but it's interesting in its own way, though not for the faint of heart.
Some of the actors do relatively well, others don't; meanwhile, the writing and direction are very odd at times. In one scene, after his Black foster son gets in trouble with the law, Joe Bologna's character gives a monologue in which he recalls his own childhood as a White "juvenile delinquent" in a tough neighborhood. While somewhat naive in that it ignores ethnic issues, his monologue at least recognizes the commonalities between the experiences of a poor White boy and his Black foster son. This leads him to develop a degree of empathy with the boy.
On the other hand, Tom Bosley puts in a brief appearance as the cartoonish "racist neighbor" who seems to react with delight when Bologna's character gives the boy a spanking for misbehaving in the bath. Scenes like this--a White man spanking a Black boy whom he has only recently met--were played for laughs at the time, but would seem shocking to most people today. I think that one has to view this movie in the context of its time, and consider the intentions of the director and actors--even if the execution was sometimes hamfisted.
Another thing about the movie that could be shocking to modern audiences is the children's "vocabulary," let's say--sprinkled liberally with swear words and ethnic slurs. In a strange way, the sheer political incorrectness of this movie can be refreshing, even as it shocks us at the same time. It's definitely not a "great" movie, but it's interesting in its own way, though not for the faint of heart.