There was a time when the major networks (ABC, NBC and CBS) all had movie of the week divisions. A movie of the week, some might recall, is a 90 to 120-minute production made explicitly for broadcast on television. They are analogous to today´s direct to DVD features, with a relatively small budget, superficial story and one or two name actors. In the case of 1981´s "Born to be Sold" (DVD title "Baby Broker"), Lynda Carter, Dean Stockwell and Harold Gould star in a story about a social worker who becomes involved in a baby-for-sale business.
Based on the novel "The Baby Brokers" and based on inspired by true stories (according to the crawl at the end of the film, anyway), "Baby Broker" tries to enlighten the audience about a social topic which hasn´t been fully covered in the media. In the world of the early 1980s, it may have been seen as a groundbreaking, provocative drama. For a 2008 audience, though, where the bar has been raised almost impossibly high by basic and pay cable, not to mention DTV features and regular TV series, it comes off as being too easy.
That´s the best word for the 95 minute production. Easy. When 14 year old Cindy (Donna Wilkes) runs away from a home for pregnant girls looking to sell their babies, she has Kate Carlin´s (Carter) phone number apparently memorized and some money for a pay phone in her pocket. To be sure, a coincidence or two like this doesn´t mean the film is no good. However, when the story relies on narrative cheats like this for the duration of the running time, there is a problem.
In its defense, though, I must reiterate two basic points: "Baby Broker" is a television movie designed to run in a very finite amount of time. The script is never afforded enough time to flesh out the characters and situation to any great degree. They are merely pawns running through the situation. Secondly, the film is based on a book. How well it adheres to the source material is an open question. If the action unfolded in this manner in the original, I really can´t quibble with carrying it over into the film version, now can I?
Regardless, in this melodrama, it is Lynda Carter who carries the production. She does the best she can with the available material to get us to buy into the story. Carter projects a thoughtfulness and caring while maintaining a relatively even emotional center throughout. In her defense, though, this isn´t a story about her, nor does it require extensive backstory. Like Cindy and the rest of the characters on screen, Carlin is a chess piece moved around the board.
It´s that board which is the problem, as I´ve already mentioned. The connective tissue which would inform the audience about what´s coming next-especially in the finale-isn´t there. A brief scene laying the groundwork for the climax is included, though the players aren´t introduced and the entire explanation of the "plan" is rushed through without a normal level of explanation. There is a general feeling some scenes exist "just because" at the expense of other ones.
For instance, does it really matter is Carlin´s job is "on the line" when that particular plot point is not given an iota of importance in the remainder of the film? And what about Dean Stockwell, reduced to the role of a thug. Yes, he is Robert Westfield´s (Gould) supposed partner in the babies for sale game, yet he disappears for the bulk of the running time, only to reappear to be the Big Bad Man. Aside from money, there is not motivation provided for any of the characters.
That´s the problem with "Baby Broker." Despite tackling a worthwhile subject with competent actors designed to shed light on a serious problem, the story can´t work the audience into enough of an emotional lather to really care. The more interesting story to be told would be from the perspective of the pregnant teenagers or even attorney Westfield. How is it he cooks the books, so to speak, to cover mental illness and other barriers to adoption. Similarly, how does he find both the family who want a child and the people who want to get rid of them.
"Baby Broker" focuses solely on getting to a certain end point; it doesn´t take the time to make sure everyone is still following along. It´s a limitation of the genre as a whole and not necessarily of this particular production.
VIDEO:
The fullscreen transfer looks, to be honest, hideous. The best analogy I can make is it´s VHS quality. And perhaps that´s a bit too nice. Grain permeates every single scene, while white and black spots regularly pop up. Certain scenes are entirely too dark; the converse is true, also. Light pouring in through windows radiates into the action at times, causing an ethereal glow to them. Details are hard to come by because of the grain. I´d doubt any work went into the restoration of the picture. There is an odd white dashed line across the very top of the frame throughout the entire movie, as if the picture has been moved down ever so slightly. I can´t imagine quality control didn´t catch it.
AUDIO:
The English mono track doesn´t contain as many flaws as its technical counterpart, but it still could use some work. The sound field is flat without any dynamic effects to speak of (but that´s also to be expected). Dialogue is occasionally overrun by the synthesizer-heavy score while higher octave noises find themselves distorted at roughly the same frequency. A handful of scenes feature audio drop outs during establishing shots; it´s obvious since people are walking up stairs with no foley accompaniment. No subtitles are included.
EXTRAS:
The feature is divided into 12 chapters. Otherwise, unsurprisingly, no extras.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
"Baby Broker" wants to be an Afterschool Special for grown-ups, altering them to new dangers in the world. To a certain extent, it succeeds in that quest. More than anything else, though, it is a relic of a bygone time and a way of scheduling for television networks. There´s nothing new in the film and it doesn´t increase our understanding of the black market baby selling business. That may be its biggest detriment.