''A Modern Affair'' is a 1996 independent feature film directed by Vern Oakley and produced by

Tribe Pictures Tribe Pictures is a film production company headquartered in Chatham Borough, New Jersey. They produced A Modern Affair, a 1996 independent feature film, directed by Vern Oakley, CEO of Tribe. Productions * A Modern Affair * Symphony: Stanley ...

. Starring

Stanley Tucci Stanley Tucci Jr. ( ; born November 11, 1960) is an American actor and filmmaker. Involved in acting from a young age, he made his film debut in John Huston's '' Prizzi's Honor'' (1985), and continued to play a variety of supporting roles in fil ...

and

Lisa Eichhorn Lisa Eichhorn (born February 4, 1952) is an American actress, writer and producer. She made her film debut in 1979 in the John Schlesinger film '' Yanks'', for which she received two Golden Globe nominations. Her international career has includ ...

, the film's plot reverses the conventions of

romantic comedies Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

. Instead of a man meeting a woman, falling in love, marrying, and having a baby, the woman gets pregnant, meets the child's father, and falls in love. Winner of the Long Island Festival Audience Award, ''A Modern Affair'' played theatrically, was broadcast by HBO and distributed by

Columbia TriStar Home Video Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures li ...

Plot

Grace Rhodes (

) is a lonely, successful executive whose biological clock is loudly ticking. Giving up on finding the right man, she resorts to using a sperm bank on the advice of her best friend Elaine (

Caroline Aaron Caroline Sidney Aaron (née Abady; born ) is an American actress. She is known for her performances in films like Mike Nichols' ''Heartburn'' (1986) and ''Primary Colors'' (1998), as well as Woody Allen's '' Crimes and Misdemeanors'' (1989), ' ...

). Soon she is pregnant, but she becomes so curious as to the identity of the father that she goes on a quest to find him with the help of Elaine. Peter Kessler (

) is a

nature photographer Nature photography is a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. Nature photography tends to put a stronger emphasis o ...

living in Upstate New York. While his lifestyle differs from hers, he is also reluctant to commit to a relationship, indulging in a casual affair with a married woman (Mary Jo Salerno). His photographs only feature landscapes because, as far as he is concerned, "people mess up composition." His world is rocked when Grace comes into the picture. And announces she's pregnant. "You got yourself into this situation," he tells her. "You're going to have to get yourself out. I'm not going to take responsibility for your baby." While at first, he runs away from any

intimacy An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Although an intimate relationship is commonly a sexual relationship, it may also be a non-sexual relationship involving family, friends, or ...

, he renews contact with Grace later. From then on begins their

discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discover ...

of mutual commitment and their journey to parenthood.

Themes

''A Modern Affair'' purports to investigate the meaning of bringing a child to the world rather than tackling the

artificial insemination Artificial insemination is the deliberate introduction of sperm into a female's cervix or uterine cavity for the purpose of achieving a pregnancy through in vivo fertilization by means other than sexual intercourse. It is a fertility treatment ...

and sperm bank, which serve as a ploy to explore intimacy and commitment. Coincidentally, since the film was made, the identity of

sperm donor Sperm donation is the provision by a man of his sperm with the intention that it be used in the artificial insemination or other 'fertility treatment' of a woman or women who are not his sexual partners in order that they may become pregnant by h ...

s has been offered more readily to children conceived by anonymous donors.

References

''L.A. Times'' review

Rotten Tomatoes entry

Fancast movie of the week

NYU Medical School review

External links

Official Website
* 1996 romantic comedy films 1996 films American romantic comedy films Films set in New York City TriStar Pictures films 1990s American films {{1990s-US-film-stub