Fabulous Fathers on Film

Fathers on film, the counterpoint to my Magnificent Movie Moms, a look a actors, plots, etcetera focused on the role of Father.

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) has got to be one of the best portrayals of fatherhood on film. It candidly reveals how so many men just are completely not prepared, or even interested, in fully being a parent ... Dustin Hoffman plays the kind of father that has his eye on his career and the whole "homelife" element of his life is merely an afterthought. But, boy oh boy, does this father come to some very different truths in this film...gut-wrenching, heart-warming, character-building truths.

But don't take my word for it...consider the facts: Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Benton), Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Benton), Best Actor (Hoffman) and Best Actress in Supporting Role (Meryl Streep).

The actor Spencer Tracy played the father in my next two picks. First, is the original Father of the Bride (1950), with a young Elizabeth Taylor as his daughter (Steve Martin took the role again in 1991). Second, Tracy in Guess Who's coming To Dinner, that earned him an Oscar nomination. Sadly, Tracy died shortly after filming was completed ....so he was not present to see his adored Katherine Hepburn win the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of his wife in this movie. The movie also won the Oscar for best screenplay... quite deservedly so... the study of familial relationships, the dialogue "speeches"... amazing... you will need a tissue or two! Fathers, mothers, daughters...WATCH this movie!

Steve Martin was great in the remake of Father of the Bride, the most heart-warming scenes are word-for-word directly from the 1950 version, but the 1991 remake allows plenty of opportunity for Martin's comedic persona to come to the forefront. Martin plays a much more serious role as a father in Parenthood (1989). But though the movie deals more seriously with it's subject, there are a few scenes where Martin exhibits his goofiest, wackiest abilities.

The actor Dennis Quaid has played 'father' in at least five movies. Didn't care much for Yours, Mine and Ours (2005) a remake of a sixties flick, but in another remake from the early sixties, I thought he was adorable -- 1998's The Parent Trap (which first put Lindsay Lohan on our pop culture radar). Quaid also great as the father to Scarlett Johansson in 2004's In Good Company and in the 2002 true-story The Rookie. As a father who communicates with his son across time barriers, Frequency (2000) also a good father role for Quaid.

For historical/period movies Mel Gibson's The Patriot is a good "father" film. For guys, it has tons of action, blood-n-guts, war-hero adventure. For women, it has Mel Gibson with Heath Ledger as his oldest son. For American history buffs, Gibson's character loosely based on the actual life of Colonel Francis Marion (known to the day as the father of modern guerrilla warfare), and many of the characters are true historical figures.

Airs on TNT June 28, 2009, at 1:45AM and 5:30PM

Lots of movies don't focus exclusively on the fatherhood role, but many male characters in all genres -- dramas, comedies, action-adventure - are enriched by the portrayal of "father." You can't beat Gregory Peck's role in To Kill a Mockingbird, or the comic antics in Three Men and a Baby. Bruce Willis in Armageddon...would you have heard all the teary sniffles in the audience if this astronaut's father-role wasn't a major element to this sci-fi action adventure movie? And Dirty Dancing ... one of the most popular chick flicks ever! Would audiences be as moved by Baby's situation if the father role was missing from this movie?

A sorrowful statement in our society today is that father roles often show the less than idyllic father. Tim McGraw's acting debut in Friday Night Lights. Kurtwood Smith in Dead Poet's Society (this actor took his ultra-strict persona from this film and gave it great comedic twist in TV series That 70s Show.) But this is a ‘great dad' column, so I won't dwell on this type of father film.

Looking forward to hearing about the DAD movies I overlooked! Leave a comment! As usual, dates, etc. courtesy of Wikipedia.

Already have a Part Two 'Fabulous Father's hub...take a look! Part Two includes Mr. Mom, Guess Who, Father of the Bride 2, Father's Little Dividend, Meet the Parents, Pursuit of Happyness, The Impossible Years, Take Her She's Mine.