''Mixed Blessings'', also known as ''Danielle Steel's Mixed Blessings'', is a 1995 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

romantic

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Bethany Rooney. The film is based upon the 1993 novel of the same name written by Danielle Steel. It contains three stories of couples who are facing parenthood for the first time.

Scott Baio Scott Vincent James Baio (; born September 22, 1960) is an American actor. He is known for playing Chachi Arcola on the sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1977–1984) and its spin-off '' Joanie Loves Chachi'' (1982–1983), the title character on ...

Bess Armstrong Elizabeth Key "Bess" Armstrong (born December 11, 1953) is an American film, stage and television actress. She is best known for her roles in films '' The Four Seasons'' (1981), '' High Road to China'' (1983), ''Jaws 3-D'' (1983), and ''Nothing i ...

Gabrielle Carteris Gabrielle Anne Carteris (; born January 2, 1961) is an American actress and trade union leader. Her best known acting role was as Andrea Zuckerman during the early seasons of the 1990s television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210''. In 2012, Carte ...

, and

Bruce Greenwood Stuart Bruce Greenwood (born August 12, 1956) is a Canadian actor and producer. He is known for his role as the American president John F. Kennedy in '' Thirteen Days,'' for which he won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion ...

lead the all-star cast.

Plot

Three couples are followed as they struggle to have children. Diana and Andy Douglas are a newlywed couple with great careers trying to have a baby for eleven months, without any results. As they visit the doctor, they are crushed to find out that Diana has problems with her ovary and she has a 1 in 10,000 chance to become pregnant. Diana, who always wanted to have a child, considers finding a surrogate mother, but the process proves to be very painful because Andy always wanted to have a child as well. She thinks she is preventing him from living his dream and files for divorce. Eventually, Andy convinces Diana that he only wants to be with her and together, they decide to adopt a child. They find Jane, a student who thinks a baby will destroy her promising future. After giving birth to a girl, Hilary, Diana is filled with joy to finally become a mother. Jane, however, changes her mind and claims her baby back. Meanwhile, Diana turns out to be pregnant after all. In the end, she ends up with two children, following Jane's decision not to have the child after all. Another plot involves Charlie Winwood, an

orphan An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

who, like Diana, always wanted to have children. He is married to Barbie, an aspiring actress who isn't too enthusiastic to become a mother. While Barbie is on a vacation in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, Charlie makes a visit to the doctor and finds out he is sterile. However, five weeks later, Barbie announces she is pregnant, which means she cheated on him. Charlie immediately leaves her and later meets Beth, another orphan who is now enjoying her life as a single mother. They fall in love with each other and soon marry. Not only does Charlie become the father figure of her child, but they also decide to adopt another child. The plot also centers on Pilar and Brad Coleman, an older couple who, after Brad's daughter announces she is pregnant, decide to try to become pregnant as well. The age proves to be a great obstacle. Even after an artificial insemination, she suffers a miscarriage. Crushed, she decides not to continue the process, until she becomes pregnant. She eventually delivers twins, but one of them dies.

Cast

as Diana Goode Douglas *

as Charlie Winwood *

as Pilar Graham Coleman *

as Andy Douglas *

James Naughton James Naughton (born December 6, 1945) is an American actor and director. He is best known as Michael Bower on '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984-1992) and was also notable for his earlier role as the astronaut Pete Burke in the 1974 single-season telev ...

as Brad Coleman *

Alexandra Paul Alexandra Elizabeth Paul (born July 29, 1963) is an American actress, activist, health coach, and former model. Paul began her career modeling in New York before landing her first major role in John Carpenter's horror film ''Christine'' (1983). ...

as Beth * Julie Condra as Barbara Elizabeth "Barbie" Chandler *

Barbara Tyson Barbara Tyson (born October 1, 1964) is a Canadian actress known for appearing in hit TV series '' Neon Rider'', ''Cold Squad'', '' ER'' and ''The Twilight Zone''. One of her first notable television roles was in '' Another World'' as Dawn "Ivy" ...

as Gayle Goode *

Ocean Hellman Crystal Ocean Supri Heavenly Blue Sky Hellman (born 8 November 1971), known shortly as Ocean Hellman, is a Canadian former actress who began her acting career as a child actress when she was 3 years old. Hellman is best known for her role in the ...

as Sam Goode * Janne Mortil as Nancy * Michelle Beaudoin as Jane * Cassandra Rocan as Baby * Katelyn Rocan as Baby

Broadcast

''Danielle Steel's Mixed Blessings'' had its world premiere broadcast in Canada on CHCH on December 10, 1995. The film was shown the following night in the U.S. on NBC.

References

External links

* {{Danielle Steel 1995 films 1995 television films 1995 romantic drama films American romantic drama films Films scored by Mark Snow Films about adoption Films about families Films based on American novels NBC Productions films Films based on works by Danielle Steel NBC network original films American pregnancy films American drama television films Films directed by Bethany Rooney 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language romantic drama films