He’s up very early in the morning. He has misplaced his signature pen again and he thinks you had something to do with it. Does he ever use the pen? No one knows. He just has it, okay! He will investigate this after his morning walk and he is not pleased that he has to do one now, without his pen. He will solve the riddle eventually… until then, you are his suspect and he is your Dad! Dads are hilarious. What to do? Here’s what you do, this Father’s Day binge through this mad lineup of very funny and very earnest dads. They goof up a lot, sure! But they also never stop trying to be the best dads they could be to their children.
GEORGE BANKS (FATHER OF THE BRIDE, 1991)
Played to perfection by Steve Martin, George Banks is the classic example of an old-school dad who doesn’t want his little girl to grow up. And certainly not grown up enough to get engaged to marry a man George knows he won’t like (which would be all men if it were up to him). But little girls do grow up. And some of them get a wedding on. Banks drenches himself in a vintage bottle of Papa Paranoia, and tries just about everything to ruin the wedding. The time Old George takes in processing what’s going on is beautifully captured in the series of mess-ups he gets himself into until he eventually accepts his son-in-law! Steve Martin, as the Father of the bride, is reluctant to let go of his daughter to the very end and he will hilariously and heartwarmingly take you through his pain until he finally does.
JOE KINGMAN (THE GAME PLAN)
Joe Kingman is one of the fathers who eventually “find out” they are one. In his case, when his eight-year-old daughter shows up at his door one fine day! Kingman struggles with this new information as he tries to keep up with his big football career. Played by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Kingman’s character develops a warm bond with his tiny daughter who introduces him to a whole new world of little girl things. There is something naturally funny and endearing about a guy as big as The Rock himself trying to deal with a sassy little eight-year-old. New to parenthood, Kingman makes a lot of mistakes throughout and he might even seem selfish and all over the place in certain instances, but he rises to the occasion as quickly—not to mention amusingly—as anyone could.
BRAD WHITAKER (DADDY’S HOME)
If one overly invested dad wasn’t enough already—here we have two! Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell) and Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberg) are fathers to the same kids; one by marriage and the other biological. Whitaker is the kind, attentive and nerdy dad who shows human insecurities when put up against the tough, “cool guy dad” Dusty. They get themselves in a self-proclaimed best dad contest and take up the weirdest challenges to impress their children. Will Ferrell, a master of the craft when it comes to goofing up, does spectacular justice to his character and Wahlberg isn’t too far behind either. And the only thing funnier than a fun dad is a wannabe fun dad, and that is the gift of Whitaker alone!
MATTHEW LOGELIN (FATHERHOOD)
Matt Logelin is a widower and a single father. Both things are new to him but this is a man who wouldn’t skip his duties even for a day, no matter how hard it gets. So he learns and tries to do everything right by his newborn Maddy even if things get difficult. Kevin Hart does an admirable job of being funny even while playing a dutiful, grieving father. Logelin is seen fighting his own battles and diligently struggling to fill in for both parents to his little girl. Hart is hysterical, quick and spontaneous as a father and he gives you plenty of inspiring, somber yet enchanting moments that will have you rooting for this family till the very end.
Also, Logelin accidentally punches a clown at some point in the movie. So there you go!
WAYNE (FATHER OF THE YEAR)
This might come as a surprise to you but Wayne is not Father Of The Year. Any year. Not even close, no. Wayne is a drunk. Wayne is unemployed. Wayne is played by David Spade in the movie. Also, if you have noticed, Wayne just appears to have the first name on him, unlike everyone else on this list. That’s why we are weirdly fond of Wayne. Now Wayne doesn’t have a lot of good ideas on him and he comes up with a very bad one when he tries to become the best dad to his son. What follows is mayhem. The goof-up count is running very high in this one but he gets there. Well, somewhere and he does it while amusing his son and for some dads that’s the whole task. Thanks to Spade’s excellent performance, Father Of The Year will give you the very specific odd-yet-familiar joy of a Happy Madison Production.
KENNY LUSTIG (THE WEEK OF)
Kenny Lustig is Dad Almighty. His beloved daughter’s wedding is a week away and there’s conflict, crowd, chaos and one goofy Captain supervising it all. Played beyond perfection by world-famous family man Adam Sandler, Lustig is doting, diligent and outright hilarious. Throughout the movie, he’s just doing chores. And there is something very funny about when a dad tries to do all the chores. Blunders all the way! Endearing as ever, Lustig has the perfect relationship with his kids and takes fatherhood a bit too seriously. The entire cast has done good justice to their characters in this movie but from the beginning to the end, it’s Adam Sandler who gets to take home the “Happy Father’s Day” mug.
DANIEL HILLARD (MRS DOUBTFIRE)
Of course we saved a classic for the last one! Heartwarming, dedicated and very prone to goof-ups, Mrs Doubtfire is an all time favourite dad. What can you say about a father who cross-dresses and infiltrates his estranged wife’s home as the nanny just to be around his kids and get his family back together? You’d say that’s a rather elaborate effort. Not to mention, wildly creative. Parents are individually creative people and if you’re their offspring, like it or not, they will bring that to you. Robin Williams does an excellent job as the impressions-loving nanny-dad in this classic family comedy.
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