Being a father is not easy, especially in regards to parenting. A few great movies have truly captured the ordeals and struggles a father faces. Dad knows where they are coming from. Here are a few flicks that might provide a rare opportunity to bond with Dad on Father Day’s:
FATHER OF THE BRIDE (1950)
Everyone knows the hilarious 1991 Father of the Bride. But in fact, it is a remake of an older classic. The 1950 original with Spencer Tracy and a young Elizabeth Taylor is just as fun. Even though it is wholesome by today’s standards, the family comedy about a man and his daughter aged well and can provide a little nostalgia to Dad. Spencer Tracey is at his best and the chemistry on screen is exceptional between the two leads.
FINDING NEMO (2003)
Yes, if you forgot what Finding Nemo is about, it is centered on a widowed father (a clown fish) searching for his child, Nemo. Being a Pixar film, this one may be appropriate for a younger father with young kids, but it is so well done that it is almost universally well-liked. The film has all the traits of modern parenthood, overprotectiveness, anxiety and a child being spoiled rotten. Although computer animated, this movie covers a part of fatherhood that often gets overlooked, and can entertain a whole family.
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (1993)
In Sleepless in Seattle, the father is also widowed and must take care of his son Jonah alone. With all the sadness of missing his wife, the question is if Sam, the character played by Tom Hanks, is up to the task. But the movie takes a surprising turn as the son sets out to help his father heal, searching for a partner for his dad. In Sleepless in Seatle, you see how the sharing of emotional baggage and the sense of teamwork between the son and father and how together they can overcome just about anything.
THE GODFATHER (1972)
The Godfather is a movie about the criminal underworld. But it is also about father-son relationships and the passing on of traditions, in this case the family business as head of a Mafia family. The 1972 film based on a novel by Mario Puzo has few equals and remarkably beautiful and evocative. Director Francis Ford Coppola conveys in stunning detail how father son relationships evolve and sons become like their fathers even though they may have done everything to prevent it. This is a great film for a father who sees some of the struggles of themselves in their children. Or they just might have high standards for movies.