Claudine (1974)

Struggling single mother of six children (ranging in age from 18 to about 6) allowing herself to be wooed by a charismatic garbage man, against her initial better judgment.

This is a pretty decent representation of just about everything it tackles -- and it tackles quite a bit: opposition from children to a parent's new love interest, America's welfare system, militancy, teen pregnancy, deadbeat fatherhood, etc. I was especially impressed with the lesson in how our government's handouts can actually stand in the way of change for the better in the lives of its recipients (and, no, I'm not opposed to welfare).

But the film's impressive range of topics is also its big weakness. It felt rather scattershot -- is this a comedy? A romance? A political screed? I never really got the whole story of any one topic and then the ending felt rushed and slapsticky.

C