Hollywood has a knack for creating characters we wish we could be. Whether it's James Bond or Han Solo, Annie Hall or Sabrina Fairchild, most of us have an idol who only exists in the movies. These other-worldly characters inspire us to act as they do, and try as we may, it's not easy. Hollywood has made it especially hard on Dads. If you look at some of tinseltown's most beloved films, chances are there's a beloved patriarch in them as well. From Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird to Bryan Mills in Taken, these men make it hard for regular Dads everywhere to live up to their children's expectations. Often overcoming the odds, movie Dads fight the taken-for-granted idea that you have to be a woman to be a good parent. Men are just as good. The following lists some of these admirable Dads in no particular order. These are the guys who have stood out over the years. Why? Because I said so.
In 1979's Kramer vs. Kramer Ted Kramer finds himself a single parent after his wife suddenly leaves him. A workaholic, Ted loves his son but has little to no patience for him in the beginning. Eventually Ted gets the hang of parenting his son alone, just when his ex-wife decides to ask for her son back. Before you know it, Ted's in a courtroom questioning why a father can't be just as good a parent as a mother, and there's not a dry eye in the house. Dustin Hoffman was so believable in the role that he earned his first Oscar. Not bad for a man whose first Oscar nomination came from playing a ne'er-do-well in The Graduate.
Steve Martin has never been one to shy away from comedy, but in Father of the Bride he combines both laughs and genuine heartfelt moments as George Banks, a man caught in the midst of planning his only daughter's wedding. Although more than a little flawed, George's love for his daughter is practically palpable and it's hard not to feel bad for the guy as he struggles to let go of his little girl. Cue daughters's hearts everywhere melting.
For starters, this movie is pretty much a tool to convince Dads to never let their daughters travel abroad without adult supervision. Ever. It's also a film that lets Dads know that unless they can fire a gun or throw a good right hook, they're not much of a man. So before you let your daughter go to Paris, take a visit to your local shooting range, and then maybe she can go. Oh, and a crash course in CIA warfare might be helpful too. Don't have the time? Psh. Some Dad you are.
Before you start complaining that Daniel was actually a really creepy Dad (he did dress up as an old lady), think how many Dads would willingly go to such lengths to see their children. This man deserves points for creativity and determination. He may have been slightly irresponsible and immature, but he also had a big heart. Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire probably scarred many of us as children, but there was no denying the love he/she had for those kids. It takes a lot out of a man to lose his wife, his children, and his job, but Daniel Doubtfire Hillard still managed to get dinner on the table by 6:00.
Based on a true story, this film leaves you pretty miserable for most of the time. Chris Gardner, a single Dad, invests his money in a new product that ends up losing him money instead. Left with an empty bank account and a son to take care of, Chris makes a risky move and decides to partake in a six-month training program to become a stockbroker. Too bad there are nineteen other candidates up for the same job. But the worst part? He doesn't get paid. Nonetheless, Chris is determined to give his son a better life, even if it means sleeping in homeless shelters and public restrooms along the way. Plus Chris is played by Will Smith, the greatest movie action hero/anti-hero/rebel/self-reliant star of them all, so you know if anybody can handle it, he can.
James Bond is Indiana Jones' Dad.
I think that about sums it up, don't you?
Okay, okay, so Sam Baldwin mopes around the screen half the time in this movie. He seems more like the world's most adoring husband than the world's best Dad. Upon seeing his Dad's grief at the passing of his wife, Sam's precocious eight-year-old son Jonah calls a radio show therapist to help his Dad. Thousands of letters start pouring in from women who hear Sam's story, and Jonah has a gut feeling that one Ms. Annie Reed from Baltimore could be his Dad's soulmate. Sam refuses to respond to Annie, inciting Jonah to trek to New York City where he will meet her and prove to his Dad that she's the one. Sam of course immediately goes after his son, and their reunion is one of the sweetest moments to ever grace the screen. Hugging his son tightly, Sam tells Jonah, "You are my family. You're all I've got." No wonder women everywhere wrote to him.
If this list were a ranking of movie Dads, Atticus Finch would, without question by the way (because I am writing this and not you), take the top spot. No other man could fire a gun, fight racism, be a defense attorney, and raise two children. By himself. Sure, Sam Baldwin does a good job with Jonah on his own, but Sam probably can't hold a gun. And yes, Bryan Mills is pretty darn good with a gun, but he was sort of a distant father until his daughter got kidnapped.
But Atticus? Atticus could do it all. He stuck to his ideals even while everyone in his town was turning against him. He chose the "What is right isn't always popular route" by defending a black man despite his racist neighbors, and he even protected his kids from a rabid dog by killing it with a single shot. Then there's the fact that he had to teach his son how to be a man and teach his daughter how to be a lady. Oh, and he's got to explain, in simple terms, why things like racism even exist. Plus, we see the man throughout the film from a child's perspective, so it's kind of hard to view him with anything other than awe.
This is too easy: Atticus Finch, by far, is the greatest movie Dad of all time.
Most action adventure films require the man to save a damsel in distress or avenge a lost lover's death. It's a pretty popular formula, and Hollywood makes quite a bit of money out of it. But in The Patriot, Mel Gibson's character Benjamin Martin doesn't agree to go pick up arms because of some distraught maiden. A single parent to seven, that's right, seven children, Benjamin starts pulling fast ones on the Red Coats only when they dare to threaten his family. Too bad the Brits weren't aware of Benjamin's extensive skill with a hatchet prior to this decision.
No, not that Yours, Mine, and Ours, the 2005 remake; I'm talking about the classic from 1968 in which Henry Fonda plays a widowed Naval Officer with ten children (take that, Benjamin Martin). Although he knows how to run a battleship, Frank Beardsley knows little about baby formula. Luckily Frank happens to fall in love with a woman who, unluckily, has eight children of her own. Hilarity thus ensues. Frank is kind and slightly out of his comfort zone but still man of the house in this old-time movie. Back in the day when men drank martinis and women wore pearls, Frank was a modern man, folding laundry and packing bagged lunches. What a guy.
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