Born to Be Sold (1981) (TV)

Why do I subject myself to this kind of stuff?, 18 April 2006

Lynda Carter is Kate Carlin, a social worker with a 14 year old pregnant girl as one of her clients. The girl has agreed to put her baby up for adoption through a private attorney rather than the State. After the baby is born, she changes her mind about the whole adoption process and wants to keep her baby. But the greedy attorney will hear none of this and goes ahead and gives the baby to parents that he secretly knows to be unfit. In steps Kate Carlin to save the day and put a stop to the baby-selling ring.

Why do I subject myself to this kind of stuff? I don't know if The Lifetime Network existed in 1981, but Born to Be Sold is pure Lifetime melodrama. I'll admit that the situation the young girl found herself in was heartbreaking, but the way the film presents the story lacks a lot of realism. Take the scene where Kate Carlin spots an intruder in her home. The reaction on the part of the character and the lack of police involvement did not ring true. Or, take the greedy, slimy attorney played by Harold Gould. He's just a little too greedy and a little too slimy to be believable. To be a man in his position, he takes far too many chances and brags a little too much to be successful for very long. Again, it's not realistic.

3/10