''What Makes a Family'' is a 2001 American

television film 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 for ...

directed by

Maggie Greenwald Maggie Greenwald is an American filmmaker. Most recognized as an independent writer and director, Greenwald’s most notable films include ''Sophie and the Rising Sun'' (2016), starring an ensemble cast that included Margo Martindale, Julianne N ...

and starring Brooke Shields,

Cherry Jones Cherry Jones (born November 21, 1956) is an American actress known for her roles on screen and stage. She has received various accolades for her performances in television and theatre including three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, th ...

Anne Meara Anne Meara Stiller (September 20, 1929 – May 23, 2015) was an American actress and comedian. Along with her husband Jerry Stiller, she was one-half of the prominent 1960s comedy team Stiller and Meara. Their son is actor, director, and producer ...

Al Waxman Albert Samuel Waxman, (March 2, 1935 – January 18, 2001) was a Canadian actor and director of over 1,000 productions on radio, television, film, and stage. He is best known for his starring roles in the television series '' King of Kensingto ...

, and

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

. It was distributed by

Lifetime Television Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...

. The film premiered on the network on January 22, 2001.

Plot

Based on a true story, the film involves a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

couple living in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

who choose to have a child. Janine Nielsen ( Brooke Shields) and her partner, Sandy Cataldi (

), elect to conceive a baby via

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 ...

with Sandy as the biological mother. After the birth of their daughter Heather, Sandy is diagnosed with systemic lupus when she collapses at the baby's christening. The couple handles the disease for several years until Sandy dies. Following her death, Sandy's parents (

and

) sue to gain custody of the child. Addressing moral, legal and ethical issues, Janine's lawyer (

) wins the custody battle after a video tape surfaces in which Sandy expressed her love for both Janine and Heather and her wish for them to stay together.

Cast

* Brooke Shields as Janine Nielssen *

as Sandy Cataldi *

as Evelyn Cataldi *

as Frank Cataldi *

as Terry Harrison

Production

The film was directed by Maggie Greenwald, with the screenplay written by

Robert L. Freedman Robert L. Freedman (born July 27, 1957) is an American screenwriter and dramatist. He is best known for his teleplays for '' Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella'' (1997) and '' Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows'' (2001), and for his Tony ...

. The executive producers were

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

, Whoopi Goldberg,

Cis Corman Cis Corman (May 12, 1926 – April 27, 2020), born Eleanor Tobe Cohen, was an American casting director and film producer. She worked closely with Barbra Streisand and Martin Scorsese during her long career. Early life Eleanor Tobe Cohen was ...

Craig Zadan Craig Zadan (April 15, 1949 – August 20, 2018) was an American producer and writer. Working alone and with Neil Meron, his partner in the production company Storyline Entertainment, he produced such films as ''Footloose'', ''Chicago'' and ...

and

Neil Meron Neil Meron (born October 26, 1955) is an American film producer known for producing the 2002 film ''Chicago'' and the 2007 film ''Hairspray''. With partner Craig Zadan he ran the production company Storyline Entertainment until Zadan's death in ...

.Wertheimer, Ron
"TELEVISION REVIEW; In This Fight Over Custody, Parents Loved Each Other"
''The New York Times'', January 22, 2001

Reception

Ron Wertheimer of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praised several aspects of movie and stated: "Dripping with good intentions but enriched by performances of genuine depth, ''What Makes a Family,'' tonight on Lifetime, rises several notches above the usual based-on-a-true-story television movie." Andy Webb of ''The Movie Scene'' gave "What Makes a Family" three out of five stars, concluding: "What this all boils down to is that "What Makes a Family" was not the movie I expected and in some ways a far better one. Instead of being the legal drama about rights what you get is this pleasant drama about being a family and it works." ''What Makes a Family'' won one

GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their live ...

in the category of "Outstanding Television Movie". The film was also nominated for one

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...

in the category of " 90 Minute or Longer Cable Category".

References

External links

''What Makes a Family''
at Lifetime * {{DEFAULTSORT:What Makes a Family 2001 television films 2001 films 2001 drama films 2001 LGBT-related films American LGBT-related films LGBT-related drama films LGBT-related films based on actual events Lesbian-related films Lesbian-related television shows Films set in Florida Barwood Films films Films directed by Maggie Greenwald American drama television films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films