Congratulations, It's a Boy!

Bill Bixby plays Johnny Gains, a swinging bachelor who one day learns he's the father of a 17 year old boy.

Lighthearted TV-movie of the week brings up some tough issues and handles it in a very superficial way. The father/son relationship could have used more screen time (after all it's only 73 minutes) and development and it, like most of the film, is pretty shallow stuff.

But Bixby's natural charm shines and he gives a good performance, as do all the cast, and ensure that those 73 minutes go by pleasantly. I thought the ending was particularly nice and capped the film off well. If you're a fan of Bixby you should enjoy this, others proceed with low expectations and they might just find it entertaining.

The basic plot of "Congratulations, It's a Boy!" - a man finding out he has a grown-up son - wasn't new even back in 1971 when this movie was made. Still, the movie overall manages to be a competent telling of this old story. The movie has some big faults - Bill Bixby's character finds out he has a son in the first five minutes of the movie, so we don't really get to see how this changes his character. Also, there is less interaction shown between Bixby's and Darrell Larson's than you might think. On the other hand, their few scenes do have some genuine dramatic weight to them, and are surprisingly effective at times. Also, the movie isn't totally serious - there is some comic relief, and this comedy is genuinely funny at times. In the end, the movie is an okay way to pass 73 minutes of your time.