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ComedyDrama

Carbon Copy

"Any resemblance between father and son is purely hysterical."

User Score62 votes
58%5.8/10
Release1981
Runtime1H 32M
LanguageEnglish
StatusReleased

Synopsis

A middle-aged married wealthy white corporate executive is surprised to discover that he has a working-class black teen-age son who wants to be adopted into the almost-exclusively-white upper-middle-class community of San Marino, California.

Principal Cast8

Full Cast & Crew (41)

Media16

Backdrops

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Posters

Carbon Copy poster 1
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Director

Michael Schultz

Michael Schultz

Director →

Trailer

Box Office

Budget$6M
Revenue$10M

Certification

PG

Keywords

californiaparent child relationshipillegitimate son

Where to Watch

Stream

ScreenPix Apple TV ChannelScreenPix Apple TV Channel
ScreenPix Amazon Channel ScreenPix Amazon Channel

External Links

Reviews1

r96sk7/10

<em>'Carbon Copy'</em> is a Denzel Washington flick that only a few have apparently seen; just 2.9k watched on Letterboxd, for example. That's a surprise, as is the film itself frankly. It's a bit of a trip. I knew it'd be to do with race due to the poster/title, but it's the entire plot. I was getting major vibes of <em>'Trading Places'</em> throughout, there are plenty of differences, for sure, but the white guy's trajectory is fairly similar. That Landis flick came out just two years after this, curiously. As for how this deals with race, I think positively (albeit clumsily). Washington, in his proper movie debut, is standout. I wouldn't have predicted the phenomenal actor that he'd soon become based on this performance, but there is enough to show his acting prowess. George Segal is just as good as Denzel, the two share solid comedic chemistry. It is amusing, I found myself chuckling. The plot is ludicrous but it's never portrayed not to be just that, in fairness. I did enjoy it, as bizarre as it is (how about that opening scene!). It does have an old TV sitcom feel to it, largely thanks to a catchy score (by a certain Bill Conti). "Not aged the best"/"couldn't make it nowadays" and all that. Still, it did entertain me for (a well chosen run time of) 90 minutes.

Jul 23, 2025

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Countries:United States of America
Production:First City Features Ltd.HemdaleRKO PicturesAVCO Embassy Pictures