Countries around the world observe Father’s Day on varying dates. But in most countries, including the United States, this occasion is officially recognized on the third Sunday of June.
As a tribute to fathers all over the world, ten great movies about fatherhood are cited below:
1. "Affliction" – Paul Schrader’s stunning exploration of family dysfunction, about a taciturn middle-aged man unable to move beyond the menacing shadow of his abusive, violent father. Nick Nolte and James Coburn act up a storm in this powerful drama.
2. "Cape Fear" – The Martin Scorsese remake starring Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, and Juliette Lewis offers a harrowing picture of a family man trying to protect his wife and rebellious daughter from a vengeful psychopath. Terrific physical tension, as opposed to the more sinister, Hitchcockian original that starred Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum.
3. "Dad" – Heartfelt drama about a busy executive (Ted Danson) coming home to take care of sickly parents, while also sorting out tangled relations with his distant son (Ethan Hawke). Jack Lemmon as the patriarch is excellent, playing off beautifully with Danson, Hawke, and Olympia Dukakis as his wife. Based on the acclaimed novel by William Wharton.
4. "Father of the Bride" – Steve Martin’s ruefully funny turn as the befuddled father coming to terms with his daughter’s impending wedding is the best reason to see this warm Disney remake. But if it’s old-fashioned family nostalgia you want, check out the original movie with Spencer Tracy and a young, very beautiful Elizabeth Taylor as his daughter. The scene where he first sees her in a wedding dress remains a priceless shot.
5. "The Godfather" – Simply the best film there is on fathers and sons living with family legacies marked by pride and perdition. Benevolence, deceit, loyalty, and tragedy come to the fore as the reluctant son (Al Pacino) ponders whether to take the reins of the shadowy empire his father (Marlon Brando) has left him. Epic, operatic, Francis Ford Coppola’s film is both an ode to family and a dirge over the bloody lengths to which some would go to protect it.
6. "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner" – Spencer Tracy’s last film has him playing an irascible WASP father who must learn to overcome his prejudices when his daughter comes home with a black man for a fiance. This movie tackles the issue of racism with cold logic, but the emotions run true – thanks to the powerhouse cast, which includes Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Houghton.
7. "Kramer vs. Kramer" – Meryl Streep leaves Dustin Hoffman to take care of their young son, then reappears to get the boy back. Robert Benton’s exceptionally sensitive film (winner of five Oscars including the 1979 Best Picture) treats its subjects with sympathy and grace, allowing the material to transcend its contours as a simple child custody fight to one that examines the rigors of marriage, parenthood and careers in contemporary society.
8. "Late Spring" – Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu’s quiet, delicate tale of a widowed father trying to marry off his only daughter touches on many issues: guilt, dependence, obligation, conformity and tradition, social flux. The triumph of this film is how it looks at these complex realities of post-war Japanese society and frames the father-daughter dynamic with compassionate sobriety and exactitude. An unconditional masterpiece.
9. "The Son’s Room" – A Cannes Film Festival winner, Nanni Moretti’s illuminating film traces the disintegration of an Italian middle-class family devastated by the accidental death of a young son. As the father tries to come to grips with the loss, the quotidian details of his family life emerge with poignant clarity and purposefulness, leading to the possibility of healing.
10. "To Kill a Mockingbird" – Gregory Peck embodies the stalwart goodness, decency and bravery of fathers in this classic film based on Harper Lee’s novel. Playing a lawyer who defends a black man against a small town’s virulent hatred, Peck’s Atticus Finch offers his children lifelong lessons in quiet heroism and exemplary parenthood.
Other movies worth mentioning here are: "Daddy Long Legs" (1955); "Paper Moon" (1973); "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993); "In the Name of the Father" (1994); "My Father, The Hero" (1994); "Bird Cage" (1996); "Armageddon" (1998); "The Family Man" (2000); "Meet the Parents" (2000); and "The Pursuit of Happyness" (2006).
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