I just watched Denzel Washington's controversial first movie, and you can stream it free right now

Denzel Washington as Roger Porter in "Carbon Copy" (1981) — (Image credit: AVCO Embassy Pictures)

If you were to come up with the list of the greatest actors of all time, Denzel Washington would have to be on it. But he's not just one of the best, he's also one of the most prolific. In fact, you can watch a Denzel movie a week for an entire year and never repeat films. Or at least, that's what The New York Times senior staff writer Brooklyn White-Grier claimed on X (Twitter) on Dec. 28, 2025.

When I read the post, I was floored. I couldn't believe that Denzel had made quite that many movies. However, I double-checked, and she was absolutely right. Then I thought to myself, "That's a really good idea. I should do that."

So that's exactly what I'm doing. Each week, I'll be here reviewing one of Denzel Washington's 52 movies. This week, I'm starting with "Carbon Copy," the 1981 comedy-drama that started it all and remains perhaps Denzel's most controversial performance to date. If you want to watch it before you read on, you can stream "Carbon Copy" free on Tubi, as I did. You can also stream it on Pluto TV or The Roku Channel, both among the best free streaming services.

Malcolm McMillan

Malcolm has been with the Streaming team at Tom's Guide since 2023, reviewing dozens of movies each year so you don't have to watch the bad ones.

'Introducing Denzel Washington'

Having now watched "Carbon Copy," I can see why it's not on our list of the best Denzel Washington movies. The high point of this movie is when the opening credits say "Introducing Denzel Washington." From there it's all downhill.

Carbon Copy (1981) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p] - YouTube

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If you've never heard of this movie, it's a controversial one. It stars George Segal, a well-off Jewish businessman posing as a Waspy member of high society in San Marino, California. He's got the house, the car, the job and the wife, but that all comes crashing down when Roger (Denzel) arrives at Walter's posh office, and reveals himself to be Walter's son.

Once Roger is in Walter's life, everything is taken from Walter, all because Walter refuses to disown his Black son. It's a premise that has some promise and the potential to be a mirror held up to American society, revealing its hateful bigotry in both implicit and explicit forms.

To the movie's credit, it does attempt this ... at times. But I can definitely see why people find "Carbon Copy" controversial, if not downright offensive. There's a level of blaxploitation that comes off as crude, even when you know the movie intends to highlight how racism is bad, rather than being racist.

I can also see why the play this movie is based on, "The Engagement Baby," was canceled after just four performances on Broadway. Simply put, it's a bad script. As offensive as people may find the exploration of race in this movie, I think it's almost as offensive just how boring it can be.

But as bad as it is, Denzel is still good in it. Heck, he's really good at times. You can already see that he's got "it" and that he's going to be a star based on this performance. He's charming, charismatic, and scathingly witty. You'll visibly perk up when he comes onto the screen, and find yourself waiting for him to return.

Verdict: I can't believe 'Carbon Copy' got made

(L-R) George Segal as Walter Whitney and Denzel Washington as Roger Porter in "Carbon Copy" (1981) — (Image credit: AVCO Embassy Pictures)

In retrospect, it's insane this movie got made. It's based on a failed play, produced by a studio that hadn't made a movie in decades, and has a premise that required an expert hand to navigate successfully.

It's also insane that this movie was rated PG. The movie starts with Walter attempting to rape his wife, Vivian (Susan Saint James), which the movie even acknowledges! There's then a scene later on in the movie where Walter has sex with Vivian when he breaks into their house dressed as a burglar following their estrangement.

Not to mention, Denzel uses the N-word at one point. That's his prerogative as far as I'm concerned, and it's far from the most egregious use of the word in cinema history. But there's no way you could have someone say that word in a PG-rated movie today.

For what it's worth, "Carbon Copy" was originally rated R. And if this was an R-rated serious drama about a white man having to grapple with race in America once he accepts his estranged Black son into his life, maybe it'd have been a good movie. But instead, it's a poorly executed comedy-drama with a sprinkling of witty lines. But at least it gave us Denzel Washington. And for that, I'm forever grateful.

"Carbon Copy" final rating: ★ (out of five)

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Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.

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