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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Five Best: Movies about Fatherhood

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="254" caption="Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel in "Life As We Know It" courtesy of collider.com"][/caption]

Friday, October 8, Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel star in Life As We Know It, in which they become the legal guardians of their mutual friends' daughter. But...they don't like each other! How funny is that??!! Maybe this process will make them fall in love. Maybe...

So, because I am on the verge of becoming a parent for the first time, here are the five best movies about fatherhood, in chronological order.

NOTE: Don't worry ladies. Next week we'll look at the five best movies about motherhood.




[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="160" caption="Elizabeth Taylor and Spencer Tracy in "Father of the Bride" courtes yof tvo.org"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="126" caption="Steve Martin in "Father of the Bride" courtesy of dvdtown.com"][/caption]

Father of the Bride (1950/1991)


I couldn't pick one, so you can. Both are great films - both are honest in their own right. But both do detail the parents' side of the seemingly perfect day of their daughter. Your little girl in now an adult and will cling to someone other than you. Spencer Tracy does it with such grace; Steve martin does it with such lightheartedness. But both are torn up inside, knowing that a new man has essentially taken their place. Thank God I'm having a boy...


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="143" caption="Gregory Peck and Mary Badham in "To Kill a Mockingbird" courtesy of awardspace.com"][/caption]

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)


Seems a little out of place, right? Well, Atticus Finch's (Peck) true strength in the novel and the film is his ability to instill good character and beliefs into his own daughter, even when the entire town 9and world, for that matter) thinks otherwise. We all remember the courtroom scenes, but we should also look more closely at the relationship between Atticus and Scout (Badham). His job may have heavy responsibilities, but his greatest responsibility is at home.


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="213" caption="Dustin Hoffman and Justin Henry in "Kramer vs. Kramer" courtesy of pollsb.com"][/caption]

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)


It's really heart-wrenching and a very sensitive topic, but Hoffman's portrayal of a father fighting for his child's custody is riveting. As a career minded man whose life gets shaken when his wife (Merryl Streep) leaves him, Hoffman refuses to lie down when she returns to the picture. It's a terrible situation, but sometimes it takes that type of drama to make people take stock of their lives. Fatherhood should be the top priority, even at the expense of your career.


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="233" caption="Robin Williams in "Mrs. Doutfire" courtesy of picsicio.us"][/caption]

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)


It's a little ridiculous and outlandish, but it's still a pretty funny look at what your dedication to your children can do to you. Williams plays Daniel Hillard, a somewhat lazy, scatter-brained husband and father whose children are taken away when his wife (Sally Field) leave him. So, the only solution is to dress up like an elderly woman and become their maid and housekeeper. It's silly, stupid, and a bit childish at times, but it also has the heart to show you to what lengths a man will go to get his kids back.


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="253" caption="Scene from "Finding Nemo" courtesy of womansday.com"][/caption]

Finding Nemo (2003)


I know what you're thinking, but hear me out. What better look at the strength of a father's love than braving the entire ocean to find your son? Finding Nemo is an honest look at the fine line between protecting your kids and letting them run free. We all have to cut the cord at some point, but we have to make sure our children are prepared as well as we are for that moment.


Thankfully, my entire basis of fatherhood will not be specific to these five films, but these are the best portrayal of fatherhood in the movies. Wish me luck!

1 comment:

  1. It is kind of hard to swallow the fact pinnacle of success that Robin Williams portrayed behind the camera throughout their prominent career especially with movies like Good Will Hunting despite the fact that there were a few bad ones like Insomnia. Encore Robin Williams!

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