EVERYBODY IN HOLLYWOOD wants to be a parent these days. The epidemic of tenderness is spreading as quickly on the West Coast as gypsy moths on the East. The ever-vulnerable Dustin Hoffman fell first, but after a while the infection gained enough strength to attack more formidable opponents, like Henry Fonda and Albert Finney. The latest victim: tough guy-turned-Pop, Al Pacino. Michael Corleone is now coddling children instead of pistols.

Despite the inevitable lapses into sentimentality, the recent trend toward family films is a welcome change. It has allowed various actors to display previously untapped aspects of their talent. The danger is that screenwriters and directors will run out of insightful social commentary on the subject, and Pacino's contribution, Author! Author! bears the warning symptoms. The film constantly struggles between a desire to fit into a mold and an equivalent attempt to break it.

Israel Horovitz's screenplay relies too heavily on standard cliches and observations. The relationship between Ivan (a Broadway playwright played by Pacino) and his extended family (five kids, only one of whom is really his) never develops. The existence of an eccentric bond between adult and children remains a given throughout. Unlike the blossoming affection between Dustin Hoffman and Justin Henry in Kramer vs. Kramer, this arrangement seems static.

The central conflict in the film stems from Ivan's relationship with his wife Gloria (Tuesday Weld). Stricken with wanderlust, Gloria can't stay married to any one man for more than a few years and can't keep track of her kids, either. Practically at the outset, she runs off again, this time with a chubby accountant, and leaves the kids with Ivan. But the tykes are used to it; she's abandoned them before--once for each of their three fathers.

A running joke in the film is little Geraldo's inability to pee in front of other people, and such details help make the characters more realistic. While our insight into their personalities isn't always clear, we can still get a general feeling for their relationships. In an early scene. Ivan tells one of the girls to act her age and, in one of the film's best lines, she snaps. "How the hell do you act 11?" And of course, through a nasty remark like that, she demonstrates exactly how an 11-year-old acts. The playwright, Ivan, copes gamely.

Ivan's problems with Gloria have an effect on his professional life as well. Obsessed with trying to get her back, he finds himself unable to finish his latest play, in spite of his director's demands for revision. It is this aspect of the plot--Ivan's gradual realization that Gloria is more of a disruptive than a stabilizing influence in his life--that sustains the movie. Ultimately, Author! Author! is not a typical "family film." As much as it extolls family life, its final message is on, of praise for individuality and self-assurance. Ivan learns to share his success and failure with his family, but not to depend upon or blame them for it.

The major flaw in the film's handling of this theme is its tone. Horovitz seems slightly confused by his chosen form: the comedy-drama. Allowing the film to teeter between pathos and slapstick, he treats the material too lightly to evoke a poignant response from the audience, yet not satirically enough to inspire much laughter. Moreover, the overly cheerful conclusion results from a painfully contrived plot twist.

As with all Al Pacino films, the best thing about Author! Author! is its star. The undeniable honesty of Pacino's emotions permeates the movie, filling in several of the more obvious holes in the script. Throughout the film, Pacino deftly conveys the vulnerability and anxiety of a very normal guy in a very absurd situation. The other performances in the film are all quite good, despite the script's neglect to allow proper character development. As Gloria, Tuesday Weld is low-key and credible. Dyan Cannon, as the object of Ivan's brief infatuation is appealing but virtually wasted in a flamboyant role that doesn't quite fit into the mild-mannered atmosphere of the movie.

Director Arthur Hiller wanted a cute film. He can't resist focusing his camera on the mischievous faces of the kids at the dinner table, or the birthday cake that goes sailing into Pacino's face. The theme song emphasizes the point with its ridiculous refrain: "Comin' home to you is like comin' home to milk and cookies."

If the family film genre is to survive much longer, one can only hope that filmmakers learn to resist the temptation for mushy sentimentality. Until then, strong actors like Al Pacino are destined to end up with cake on their face.