Sons and daughters can watch just about any high octane, action-packed thrill ride with their fathers and have a great time. However, it's hard to come by the open sentimentality that mothers and daughters share in the cinemas for what many refer to as chick flicks. Whether if it's for daughters and fathers or sons and fathers, there is a special sub-genre that often goes unnoticed and underappreciated — father flicks. These aren't action epics or cowboy westerns. Father flicks are off shoots of many genres, but contain a sincere sentimental outlook on what fatherhood means.
While we all love and appreciate our mothers to no end, it's time we take a look at some of the cinematic fathers that have stood the test of time. We'll take a deeper look into the many different themes found in such films and explore how and why these great father flicks still manage to pull on the heart chords.
We're hoping that by pinpointing these standout father flicks and examining their themes, writers will consider exploring the many possible variations of father themes that can be applied in any genre, as you will see below, to expand on this sub-genre.
1. Field of Dreams
The film's script opens with the character of Ray (Kevin Costner) narrating, "My father's name was John Kinsella." The ensuing monologue details his father's history, his love of baseball, and the fallout between the two of them. It is an all too familiar story to many.
But then the monologue segues into Ray Kinsella's life as he reflects at the age of thirty-eight, now a father to a daughter and having settled into a rather routine existence on an Iowa farm.
This opening gives us all the information we need to understand the themes present in the screenplay of the film — estrangement, loss, regret, atonement, and learning from your past — but manages to instantly trick us into forgetting those themes as we dissolve to the visual of a farm after Ray states, "But until I heard the Voice, I'd never done a crazy thing in my whole life."
Now it's about the voice and what Ray is being asked to do. As the film goes on we're led to believe that three individuals may be the "he" in question. There's Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta), who appears from thin air on the baseball field that Ray builds. There's Terrence Mann (James Earl Jones), the former activist and pacifist that Ray believes is perhaps the one he has made the field for. But then Terrence divulges that he's heard the very voice that Ray heard while they both attended a ball game. Now there's the old and young "Moonlight" Graham, a failed ball player of the past that later grew up to be a charming and wise doctor.
We're sometimes reminded throughout the script about Ray and his relationship — or lack thereof — with his father, but it feels as if this is more of a secondary story to the three possible "he" men that Ray has discovered.
It isn't until the end when we realize that all of this was leading to Ray and his father's atonement to their failed relationship. Shoeless Joe is the one to tell Ray that this was all for his father and that the voice in question was actually Ray's inner self — his inner longing to reconcile with his dad.
By the closing moments of Ray and his father having that catch, we're reminded of those sons and fathers in life that sometimes grow apart, but often realize that they are more alike than they are different. This moment is perhaps the pinnacle father and son sentiment in the history of cinema — where a simple game of catch is all that is needed to forget the past and be in the moment.
2. Father of the Bride
Steve Martin has managed to corner the market on portraying the quintessential all-American father in movies like Parenthood, Father of the Bride, Father of the Bride Part II, Cheaper by the Dozen, and a handful of other films. But it is his role in the Father of the Bride movies that stands out the most.
The first film itself, a remake of the Spencer Tracy classic of the same name, may come off as light and overly sentimental to some, but when daughters and fathers watch it, it proves itself to be one of the best portrayals of the father/daughter relationship. It explores the themes of fatherly love, sacrifice, and acceptance of a future that goes against the past that a father struggles to let go of.
The basketball scene in particular showcases the inner thoughts and emotions of Martin's George Banks as he realizes that his daughter is all grown up.
It's painful, but it's something that he must overcome. This is the core theme behind the whole film — his constant struggle to let go and realize that his little girl isn't so little anymore — and that's not a bad thing. That sole conflict drives the film through the dramatic and comedic moments that have stood the test of time. At first he pushes against the notion of his daughter getting married. When he meets her fiance, he loathes him. These feelings lead to further conflict with his own wife and especially his daughter until he finally realizes that all is well and that this is just a part of life.
It's a film that all father and daughter duos should watch together.
3. The Pursuit of Happyness
Set in San Francisco in 1981, The Pursuit of Happyness tells the true story of Chris Gardener (Will Smith) who longs to be a good father to his son, Christopher. Struggling to make ends meet selling medical equipment, he decides to pursue a dream of becoming a stockbroker. To achieve his goal he secures a place on a six-month internship with a prestigious firm where only one of the twenty candidates will secure a job at the end. However, during that six months, no salary is paid. His wife, fed up with trying to hold things together, leaves him, but Chris insists on custody of his son. Together, they struggle to make ends meet. Will things finally work out in the end?
The film is a tour de force of theme and character. This is that film for those that had or were fathers who suffered through self doubt and insurmountable odds chasing a better life for both themselves and their child. It is both a film about fatherhood and about chasing a dream. When combined, the characters within face conflict that drives the story forward. And it's a dual conflict that runs on parallel lines.
On one hand, Chris is struggling with the thought of losing his son amidst homelessness and lack of occupation.
On the other hand, he has a dream to utilize his intellect for a better life. These conflicts offer two dynamics to each of the characters of Chris and his son Christopher. And these dynamics allow the story to grab hold of us as audiences latch onto the sentiment of a father trying to prove his worth in the world while balancing his ambitions with his duty as a father to provide the best possible life for his child.
The above scene between the two characters offers even more depth as Chris catches himself shooting down the dreams his son has. He corrects himself and tells Christopher that he should never let anyone tell him that he can't do something. The dual aspect of this scene is that Chris is struggling to follow that same advice in the pursuit of his own dreams.
All of this leads to the powerful moment in the climax of the drama where Chris finally confronts his final hurdle. It remains to be one of the most moving film sequences of all time, showcasing the realized dream of a dreamer, and more important, of a father trying to raise his boy. The pinnacle lines of the moment were beautifully written, as Chris's boss asks, "Was it as easy as it looked?"
"No sir. It wasn't."
4. Interstellar
At first glance, the Christopher Nolan film seems like an epic space saga similar to the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey, but in the end the whole film is all about fatherhood, namely the relationship between Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and his daughter Murph (Jessica Chastain).
The films tells the story of a team of explorers that travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity's survival as Earth begins to change, slowly killing its inhabitants. Cooper is a former test pilot chosen to fly the ship. However, he's forced to deal with the pressures of saving humanity and abandoning his children while doing so. While he feels it's a noble task to undertake, he quickly realizes that perhaps he made the wrong choice. The most debated factor of the story comes when he has the unusual chance to reconnect with his daughter.
The themes of fatherly sacrifice, anxieties over the ways work and duty can disrupt family, and a father’s fear of disappointing his children are explored within the context of the space and time travel story, leading to a touching moment that brings everything full circle.
It's the story of a father that clashes with his daughter because they are so much alike. And it eventually has the audience, and the characters, wishing that they could turn back the clock to do things differently. And, in a way, they do.
5. The Tree of Life
The Tree of Life has much in common with the aforementioned Interstellar. Both are polarizing in regards to their cinematic reception with audiences. Some declare it a masterpiece while others cast it away as nothing more than a drab collection of nothing. But much like Interstellar, this film is primarily about fatherhood. In this case, the relationship between Mr. O'Brien (Brad Pitt) and his sons.
The themes explored are those that many with fathers from the fifties and sixties can identify with. A time when old school values and traditions were very different in the upbringing of children — specifically between fathers and sons. Can you both love and discipline at the same time and to what degree?
Can you take discipline too far — and if so, how does that reflect on your children as they grow up? And how does it reflect on you as a father. In the scene below, are we seeing proof that the father is an abuser, or are we seeing a moment where he slipped and let his disciplined ways get out of hand?
And did fathers of that age and outlook later regret what they did.
These are just a few of the grand themes explored in the film.
Pitt's character is very well layered within the script, giving us reasons to hate, admire, defend, and respect him. Some may identify with having a stern father and later being thankful for that discipline in life while others may view the film and identify with the notion that all fathers have both their shining moments and their dark missteps as well — especially during that time period. And others may connect with the notion that no matter how good a father can be, the moment he lays a hand on his children is the moment that he has failed as a father.
The film is arguably the most honest representation of fatherhood from that time — and perhaps to a certain contemporary degree as well.
6. To Kill a Mockingbird
The film, based on the classic novel, tells the story of Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, who defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge and his children against prejudice. But make no mistake, this movie is truly about fatherhood. If there were ever a perfect model of the perfect father, Atticus would be it. He's kind, caring, loving, wise, and fair. And most of all, he's raising his children as he should, teaching them right from wrong and about all other aspects of life that they will surely encounter.
The central theme explored is the idea that no matter how well children are raised, they can't be shielded from the world around them.
Sons and daughters alike can identify with having that wise and loving father that guided them through life.
7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
This now classic installment of the Indiana Jones franchise proves that no matter what you accomplish in life as an adult — even if you're a world class professor, archaeologist, adventurer, and lover — your father can always bring you back down to earth.
The sequel introduces Dr. Henry Jones (Sean Connery), father to Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), as he showcases time and time again that he's been around much longer than his son and clearly believes that he knows better in any given situation. Hilarity also ensues as we watch the all too familiar moments where the aging father stumbles amidst his own naivete and ignorance.
The film explores the aforementioned themes of regret, loss, and estrangement. But even more important, we see how similar the father and son truly are — they just go about different ways of expressing that.
There are many father flicks out there — planted within many different genres. These seven stand at the top of the list and the themes they explore are just the beginning of what budding screenwriters could examine in their own scripts.
What are some father flicks we missed and what themes do they represent?
Guest blogger Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.
He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries Blackout, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies
Tags
Get Our Screenwriting Newsletter!
Get weekly writing inspiration delivered to your inbox - including industry news, popular articles, and more!
