| To Find a Man | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Buzz Kulik |
| Screenplay by | Arnold Schulman |
| Based on | To Find a Man (novel) by S. J. Wilson |
| Produced by | Mort Abrahams Irving Pincus Peter L. Skolnik |
| Starring | Pamela Sue Martin Darren O'Connor Lloyd Bridges |
| Cinematography | Andrew Laszlo |
| Edited by | Rita Roland |
| Music by | David Shire |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
To Find a Man is a 1972 Americancomedy-drama film directed byBuzz Kulik adapted from the S.J. Wilson novel of the same name, and starringPamela Sue Martin, Darren O'Connor, andLloyd Bridges. It centers on the platonic friendship between two teenagers as one attempts to help the other get an abortion. The film premiered in New York City on January 20, 1972 and was entered into competition at the1972 Cannes Film Festival.[2]
Kulik had difficulties in marketing the film due to its controversial subject; newspaper advertisements forbid the use of the word "abortion" in promotions.[3] The film received praise from some critics for its frank, matter-of-fact approach to abortion.
Rosalind McCarthy is a spoiled 16-year-old who returns home to New York City from boarding school for the holidays. She confides to a friend, Andy, that she might be pregnant.
They seek out the advice of Dr. Katchaturian, a pharmacist. Rosalind naively tries to induce a miscarriage usingold wives' tales such as drinking castor oil and even douching with soda pop. Resigned to an abortion before a family vacation in Mexico, she needs money.
Andy tries to get some from the baby's father, Rick, a gigolo with whom Rosalind had a one-night stand. He fails, so he pawns a chemistry set, only to be mugged and robbed on the way home.
In desperation, Andy goes to Rosalind's father, pretending he needs to borrow money for someone he has impregnated. Frank McCarthy obliges, but when he concludes that Rosalind is the one who needs the abortion, he orders Andy never to return to their house. Dr. Hargrave performs the abortion, after which Rosalind cavalierly offers Andy sex as her way of a thank-you.
A.H. Weiler ofThe New York Times said the film "makes for a hip, sometimes funny and occasionally poignant view of kids under momentary stress."[1] He complimented the "with-it dialogue and natural performances" that make the characters' "efforts…starkly realistic and comic."[1] Though he praised the veteran actors in the supporting roles, he wroteTo Find a Man "really belongs to its young newcomers, principally through the extremely sensitive portrayal of Andy by a 16-year-old New Rochelle student, Darren O'Connor, and the persuasive characterization of the selfish and superficial Rosalind by 17-year-old Pamela Martin of Westport".[1]Jay Cocks ofTime also praised the cast and said that what distinguishes the film from previous films dealing with similar issues is that "Rosalind is not a weepy, fragile hysteric but a thoroughly selfish adolescent".[5]
In theSt. Petersburg Times, J. Oliver Prescott wrote, "Good films about teenagers are infrequently made, and sensitive, tasteful films about subjects of sex are even less common, making 'To Find a Man' a rare experience."[6] He detailed, "Had this film been made in the sexually silent 50s...we would have been subjected to an hour and a half of temptations and 10 minutes of happy ending, leaving one to believe that abortions were evil necessities easily acquired."[6] With this film, Prescott wrote "we are not led to believe that abortion is either a simple topic or that it is simply attained. Instead, we follow the comic, often poignant search for a legally, medically approved answer to a young girl's pregnancy".[6]
The film was met with opposition fromconservative audiences due to its lighter approach on the subject of abortion.[3] Buzz Kulik was surprised at the criticisms, saying, "The issue of abortion is no longer valid because there is no issue any more. Legal abortion is a fact of life with thousands of them being done every year."[3][a] He added, "The movie doesn't take a stand for a or against legal abortion. We show that young people don't have the traumantic[sic] aftershocks of abortion that my generation has. It's just a fact of life for them."[3]
Edward L. Blank ofThe Pittsburgh Press criticized the film's approach on abortion, describing it as too safe and "strictly routine Hollywood cotton candy".[8] He explained, "The movie determinedly avoids comment on abortion as a moral or social issue. Apart from the line--'go to any hospital: it's legal now'--'Man' sticks to a story about boy-going-out-of-his-way-to-help-girl."[8]