Even by the standards of we romantic softies, this is a silly and sentimental (if still quite enjoyable) tale, and you can't really believe that the events it depicts could happen, or that the characters concerned could live them. James Caan is a sailor who falls in love with a poolroom hooker (Marsha Mason) with a heart of gold (well, almost), gradually wins over her 11-year-old mixed-race son, sees her through another pregnancy and tries to turn her on to love. He fails of course: but he'll keep on trying. The screenplay conceals its own heart of gold with a stream of tough-talking wisecracks.

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