Baby for Sale (2004 TV Movie) User Reviews

Babes on Parade

[sol-kay · 6/10 · 8 September 2010]

***SPOILERS*** The made for TV move "Baby for Sale" shows us about the shocking baby selling industry here in the USA that until recently,according to the film's epilogue,was perfectly legal in states like NewYork and Minnesota where most of the movie and baby trafficking takes place.

The movie centers around the Johnson's Nathalie & Steve, Dana Delaney & Hart Boehner, who desperately want to adopt a baby girl and are more then willing to pay $100,000.00 for her. It's then that this sleazy Hungarian shyster Garbo Szabo, Bruce Ramsey, finds out about the Johnson's plight on the internet by Nathalie making their quest for a child public and then starts to put the squeeze on them. Offering the Johnson's this cute and healthy baby girl Gitta to adopt Szabo secretly offers the same little girl for adoption to a number of other couples without the Johnson's knowledge. It's when the Johnson's smell a rat, Garbo Szabo, in this whole baby selling operation that they contact the NYPD who in the person of Det. Joey Perrotta, Romano Orzavi, has been on to Szabo's baby selling racket for some time. But with Szabo being so sly & slippery in him knowing the ins and outs of the state law Det. Perrotta can't lay as much as a glove on him.

Setting up a sting operation by the NYPD & FBI to catch Szabo in the act of taking the money he offered to sell Gitta to the Johnsons backfired in that Szabo, covering all the bases, turns out to be well within the law in his baby selling scheme! There's also Gitta's mother who's also Hungarian, but in the country illegally, Yanka played by Elizabeth Maraelu who's being held hostage together with her infant daughter by Szabo in a downtrodden drug infested Queens New York tenement who refuses to press charges against him.

***SPOILERS** The thing that really brought the roof down on Szabo's head was the fact that the baby's, Gitta, father wasn't the person that he claimed he was. This left the door open for Yanka to get complete custody of Gitta without any interference from Szabo who now had far more pressing problems, kidnapping and extortion, to take care of. This also left the door open to charge Szabo, with among other things, of fraud that in the end put him behind bars for three years.

As for the valiant fight by the Johnsons to free both Yanka and her baby girl Gitta from being victimized by that sleaze bag Szabo it was Yanka who gave up her rights to her baby Gitta and had the Johnson's take custody of her. In Yanka knowing that in what the Johnsons did in freeing her daughter in being offered up to any number of couples for the highest price, like the fold of a top thoroughbred stallion, that they more then earned the right to adopt her.

lovely, touching movie!

[Maria100 · 23 August 2004]

*!* Spoilers Ahead *!*

Baby for Sale is the true story of a couple, Natalie and Steve Johnson, who cannot get pregnant. They keep trying, but with no luck. They finally decide to turn to adoption. They find out that it could take years to adopt a baby, and Natalie signed up for an online adoption site. A few hours later, she received an email with a photograph of a hungarian child, Gitta, who needed parents. Natalie automatically fell in love and convinced Steve that they should meet Gabor Szabo, the man who is trying to get Gitta adopted. They met with him, and so starts the story of babyselling. Szabo had promised the baby to several families, and was trying to find the couple that would give him the most money for the adoption. Steve and Natalie are approached by another couple who were actually FBI agents who have been working on baby selling cases for years. Natalie and Steve joined in a sting and after catching Szabo, had to work to actually be able to adopt Gitta. Of course, they ended up adopting Gitta and the story ended on a happy note.

The acting was all very good, the story was great, and the movie was altogether enjoyable to watch.

Stupid and Horrible, to the utmost.

[johanna_lives · 3/10 · 20 October 2006]

um, well... where to begin. i guess at the beginning. From the start, the movie didn't look at all promising, but i watched it anyway because I was sick and I couldn't be bothered doing anything but watching crappy TV. Throughout the movie, I didn't care about the main couple who were aching to have a baby. I didn't sympathise with that stupid lady, despite the best attempts of the writers. It's a bad sign when you just don't care. One good thing about the film is the 'bad guy' who auctions off the babies. I found him to be quite amusing, which was not the intended effect. haha. I watched the whole thing and I still don't know why. I guess I like to finish things- I don't recommend to even START watching this film. Now, for the worst part. I was hoping the film was nearly finished, accepting that the bad guy was caught. I was perfectly satisfied with the couple not getting the baby. But the writers weren't. The ending is HORRIBLE. And I mean it with the passion of all my heart. I can't quite explain how it made me feel- sort of revolted. The couple actually gets the baby, because the 'Judge-Judy'-like judge sees their 'loving hearts' and decides that the baby is best with them. Sickening. It was Excruciatingly CHEESY. A last word- just don't watch this movie. For your own good.

Awful

[cardenas41 · 1/10 · 27 April 2014]

The saddest part is that it's a true story. I didn't like the couple from the beginning. I felt they felt too entitled. The movie doesn't depict how many couples fell for this baby. How about the couples that saw the baby but weren't able to afford the baby. They have feelings, heart, and a desire for a baby, so what happened to them? Also, the couple, Nathalie and Johnson, have a child so why not give a chance to couples that don't even have a child. If the real couple is any way like the characters of this movie is simply sad. The only character that was interesting to watch was Mr. Szabo. The entire movie is upsetting and very wrong.

Baby for Sale Presents A My Blue (Pink) Heaven ****

[edwagreen · 10/10 · 13 November 2010]

The only criticism I had over this movie is that Dana Delany may have been too old for the part. Otherwise, this was an excellent presentation depicting what childless couples may be subjected to- baby brokers taking advantage of a difficult situation and selling babies to those who wish to pay the most. It is shocking that these outrages aren't necessarily totally against the law.

Delany and Bochner play a couple deceived by a supposed Hungarian attorney. They decide to fight this by attempting to trap the lawyer with the aid, of course, by the police.

Even after this is accomplished, the film goes on to become even better by showing the possible problems they have in the pursuit to adopt this adorable baby girl.

Poorly Done

[AngelHonesty · 4/10 · 14 January 2020]

The movie is a lower budget film, with that said it in tales horrible filming and not very good acting. The movie dragged on a little too long and was extremely boring, but the story itself was interesting. It's very enlightening to know that this movies is based from true facts. To think babies are being sold in America today is a harsh thing to acknowledge. I do appreciate what's trying to be shown from this film, but it was done very poorly.

This movie is based on a "real life" story

[Dowhatisright · 21 April 2011]

This is why Lifetime made this movie! "On July 23, 2003 Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to Introduce Legislation Inspired by LIFETIME Original Movie "Baby For Sale";- New Bill to Establish National and Tougher Penalties for Illegal Baby Brokering."

In 2004, The Senate and the House of Representatives of The United States of America assembled and passed the Baby Selling Prohibition Act of 2004.

"Baby Selling Prohibition Act of 2004 is modeled after New York's Law. This critical legislation will prevent families from enduring the same agony that the Schneider's went through and will ensure that every adoptive child's safety and the best interest is strictly maintained in all adoption cases."

In the United States of America Congressional Record dated, July 22, 2004, page 17126 (S2748) Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress Assembled.

Hated this film

[guil12 · 26 November 2009]

I agree with the comment about the stupidity of this movie. Why do we watch such trite? I think sometimes they are so bad you can't believe what you're watching. I like Hart Bochner's work. Loved him in Die Hard as the coke sniffing executive. He was wasted in this silly film. And the dame who played his wimpy wife looked like his mother. Dana Delany was terrible and obnoxious. I never wanted her to get the baby. She was too selfish a person to have any children. Going against her husband, the law to get her way. And nobody stops her. Even in the courtroom when she stands up and gives this phony speech about what's best for th child, it was sickening. I turned off the TV when the idiot judge was about to give over the child to her. I just don't want to see it. However, aside for my respect for Bochner's work, I did like the guy who played the shady dealer. Bruce Ramsay gave a decent performance. Almost like he was laughing through the whole movie.

So, kudos for Ramsay and Bochner's presence and thumbs down for the movie and the leading lady, Delany.