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Whoopi Goldberg, Ted Danson, Will Smith, Nia Long, Paul Rodriguez ... see more see more... , Jennifer Tilly , Peggy Rea , Phyllis Avery , Frances Bergen , David Bowe , Clyde Kusatsu , Michael Halton , Lu Leonard , Joe Lerer , William John Murphy , Mel Stewart , Rawley Valverde , Jeffrey Joseph , Reuben Cannon , O'Neal Compton , Charlene Fernetz , Shaun Levy

Richard Benjamin directed this farce that plays like "Guess Who's Coming for Insemination?" Whoopi Goldberg stars as Sarah Matthews, who runs an African-American oriented bookstore in Oakland. She is ... read more read more...raising her daughter, a beautiful high school student named Zora (Nia Long), on her own after her husband's death many years earlier. As a result of a science class blood test, Zora discovers that the man she thought was her father actually wasn't. Instead Zora finds she was the result of artificial insemination. After researching the sperm bank's records, Zora discovers, much to the surprise of Sarah and herself, that the anonymous sperm donor is in fact, Hal Jackson (Ted Danson), a loud, crude obnoxious (and white) used-car dealer who advertises on late-night television. Zora visits Hal while he is filming a commercial and Hal brushes her off. Enraged, Sarah tells Hal off, but after meeting Zora he now feels a paternal itch. Not only that, but he is beginning to feel an attraction to Sarah. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Flixster Users

37% liked it

41,606 ratings

Critics

29% liked it

28 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 50 min.

Directed by: Richard Benjamin

Release Date: May 28, 1993

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DVD Release Date: October 6, 1998

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Stats: 704 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (704)

  • phubbs1
    March 27, 2012
    phubbs1
    Made in America (1993)

    Very dated and awkward comedy with the kinda unfunny Ted Danson and annoying Whoopi Goldberg. The whole plot is pretty dumb really as Danson's character is made out to be the father of Nia Long's character after giving a sperm sample many years before, but... read more he is white and Goldberg is black as is Long.

    Its a nice comedy, very gentle and very heart warming but I don't think its too good really, at no point do you ever go with the premise that Danson could be Long's father, it just doesn't work. The mixing of a typical cliched white hick cowboy type who is a slimy car salesman with an African American woman who has a strong African background and her own African trinket store is an intriguing recipe for laughs but it doesn't really materialise.

    Its all very cute and cuddly and harks back to the days of cinema when Goldberg and Danson were actually big name draws at the cinema haha remember that!? Throwaway comedy which is known for introducing a young Will Smith and Nia Long into the movies.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 2, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    Whoopi Gooldberg is truly a Comedian with her own skills in the Movie, she totally steals my attention in every of her Movies. Too Sad a very tiny bit part of Will Smith.
  • SirPant
    September 28, 2009
    SirPant
    Painful and insulting to anyone with half a brain.
  • thmtsang
    July 14, 2007
    thmtsang
    Interesting story about Ted being the sperm donor of Whoopi's child. Will's character is funny.
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 22, 2007
    sanjurosamurai
    really good, nia long was good and ted danson is always classic
  • dreamfaeries
    August 25, 2006
    dreamfaeries
    It was okay.
  • xxdebxx
    February 22, 2010
    xxdebxx
    "Made in America" is an enjoyable, light-hearted tale about the ethical problems of artificial insemination, racial identity and the dilemmas it can cause. Whoopi Goldberg plays Sarah , the mother of a seventeen year old - Zora (Nia Long). Their seemingly perfect life is changed ... read moredramatically when Zora finds that she is in fact the product of an artificial insemination. Upset and curious about the whereabouts of her real father, Zora searches through the computer files for her Mother and finds that her father is in fact Hal (Ted Danson), a white guy instead of the tall, intelligent black man Sarah had particularly requested. It is a decent, heartwarming plot that handles the race aspects with an ease.
  • SunilJawahir
    March 18, 2009
    SunilJawahir
    Watched this quite a few times on HBO as a kid and liked it.
  • jp992751
    April 3, 2012
    jp992751
    Not terrible but not one that will be remembered. The romance between Danson and Goldberg was revolting! There were some bright moments (a young Will Smith was a bit raw but was the comedic character that kept the film moving). If not for Will Smith fans seeking out his early fil... read morems I am sure Made in America would have been one of those movies that just disappear without ever being brought to DVD.
  • Surfer567Rosa
    June 24, 2009
    Surfer567Rosa
    you know what's even creepier than watching ted danson and whoopi goldberg hook up on screen? knowing that they also did it post-movie.

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Critic Reviews

Chris Hicks
October 18, 2008
Chris Hicks, Deseret News, Salt Lake City

This first-time screenplay by Holly Goldberg Sloan feels more like an outline, and director Richard Benjamin doesn't seem to know quite what to do with it. Full Review

Neil Cohen
July 29, 2007
Neil Cohen, Echo Magazine

A fun time capsule with a very likable cast.

Rob Gonsalves
April 9, 2007
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

Has anyone else noticed the apparent subtext that black men are unstable and unreliable, and only a white man can be sensitive to a black woman's needs? Full Review

Alex Sandell
November 4, 2003
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum

About the least funny comedy ever created.

Ken Hanke
April 24, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Okay star comedy time-killer,

Brian Lowry
December 1, 2008
Brian Lowry, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Click to read the article Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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  • At the sperm-bank, she asked for a tall, intelligent, black man. One out of three ain't bad.
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Made in America Trivia

  • What movie did Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson star in about a girl named Zora who mistakenly thinks a car salesman is her father?  Answer »
  • Will Smith sing the soundtrack of ...  Answer »
  • What was the movie called that stars puppets and was made in America but it didn't go down to well in america  Answer »
  • in which movie did both whoopi goldberg and ted danson star in, made in 1993?  Answer »
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