Photo by Sabine van Straaten on Unsplash
A Tribute to Father’s Day: Ten Unforgettable Celluloid Dads
By Geoff Carter
(Originally published June 12th, 2023)
It’s that time of year when we’re once again celebrating the patriarch, the pater familia, the big man, the king daddy, and the head of the family. It’s Father’s Day. Master of the grill, wearer of the toolbelt, and keeper of the bad joke—your time is near. Fire up the grill, turn on ESPN, polish those putters, and roll out the hammock. It’s time to honor dear old Dad once again. And, as part of a salute to one of America’s greatest (and sometimes balding and potbellied) institutions, the Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies would like to take a moment to honor some of the greatest paragons of the adult male patriarch to appear on the silver (and smart) screen. These are men who, through inherent senses of morality and right—as well as their infinite patience, are paragons of everything a father should be. Sacrifice, humor, compassion, understanding, guidance, and discipline only scratch the surface of who these characters are, and offer us a glimpse of what we really could be.
The Ten Most Outstanding Film Dads
English: “Copyright © 1963 by Universal Pictures Co., Inc.”, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Atticus Finch: To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus (Gregory Peck) is not only a lawyer determined to stand up to racism in small-town 1930s Alabama, but he is also a single father to Jem (Phillip Alford) and Scout (Mary Badham), his two children. He exemplifies outstanding moral courage and righteousness during his defense of an innocent black man, and he teaches his children these same virtues, as well as many others, as they grow to understand that the world they live in, and many of the people they know, are sometimes filled with intolerance and rancor. Atticus’ quiet, logical, and compassionate demeanor, as well as his understated courage is probably one of the outstanding paternal paragons on film. Written by Horton Foote. Directed by Richard Mulligan.
Mac MacGuff: Juno. A bluff, slyly sarcastic, plain-spoken man, Mac (J.K. Simmons) is the father to Juno (Elliot Page), an articulate (to a fault) and suddenly pregnant teenager. As he and Juno’s stepmom Bren (Allison Janney) work out solutions for her growing problem with the girl, such as taking her to meet prospective adoptive parents, Mac is the one who talks her through some rough patches with his subtly ironic humor. He is the one who provides a steady shoulder for his daughter to lean on. Mac is never preachy, angry, or harsh. He takes the pregnancy, as he does with everything he encounters, with a shrug and a let’s get her done attitude. Written by Diablo Cody. Directed by Jason Reitman.
Nasheynashe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Don Corleone: The Godfather. While it may seem counterintuitive to honor one of cinema’s most notorious gangsters on Father’s Day, the truth is that Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) was not only a caring and dedicated father to his own children, but a patriarch and benefactor to his community. His benevolence and consideration to his people (although a good number of them engaged in felonious behavior—at his behest) is testament to his willingness to take on the burdens of others and to sacrifice his own wealth and health to help those less fortunate than himself. The fact that he took in the child Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) into his own family is an act of kindness not to be discounted. The fact that Tom became an indispensable cog in the family business is—well, part of the Don’s genius. Written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
Lorenzo: A Bronx Tale: In this story, Lorenzo (Robert DeNiro) is a New York City bus driver trying to raise his ten-year-old-son Calegero (Lillo Brancato) in an Italian-American neighborhood in Bronx. His son, however, is fascinated by a group of local men attached to the Mafia. Their leader Sonny (Chazz Palmintieri) takes a shine to the young boy and encourages him to hang around, serving as sort of a surrogate father figure. Determined to prevent his son from being seduced by a life of crime, Lorenzo stands up to Sonny, telling him to leave his boy alone, telling Sonny that he is the boy’s father The two men clash, and the son has to choose between his allegiance to the two men. Written by Chazz Palminteri. Directed by Robert DeNior.
Edward Bloom: Big Fish. All his life, Will Bloom (Billy Crudup) has had to listen to his father Edward (Albert Finney) fantastical stories about running away, joining the circus, having a giant as best friend, and saving himself from the wrath of a werewolf by playing catch with him all night, and other even more outlandish tales. On his wedding day, Will leaves his dad, but when he discovers, a few years later, that his father is dying of cancer, he returns to his bedside After investigating his story—part of which is true—he returns to his dying father’s side and together they imagine what the true prophecy of Edward’s death, which he had once seen in a witch’s glass eye—will really look like. Together they imagine an escape from the hospital to meet up with all his old friends. At his dad’s funeral, Will meets all the characters in Edward’s tales and through understanding the value of his father’s stories, he is able to forgive him. Screenplay by John August. Directed by Tim Burton.
Jack Butler: Mr. Mom: In this eighties comedy, Jack Butler (Michael Keaton) is an engineer who loses his job at the Ford plant. His wife Caroline, (Terri Garr) is forced to reenter the work force as an advertising executive, leaving Jack in charge of their three children. After an initial period of adjustment to the complexities of balancing the responsibilities of child-rearing and running a household, Jack finally becomes comfortable in his new rule until one of the neighborhood housewives attempts to seduce hm. Through a series of misunderstandings, Jack and Caroline become estranged but when they realize that their respective experiences have made each of them stronger, Jack understands the fulfillment of not only fatherhood, but motherhood as well. Screenplay by John Hughes. Directed by Stan Dragoti.
Gil Buckman: Parenthood. While this is a multi-generational story of a single family’s struggles with marriage, sibling rivalry, and modern life, it is the struggles of one father, Gil Buckman (Steve Martin) and his struggles to help his oldest son cope with emotional difficulties. Learning his son has to go into special ed. Classes, coaching him through little league, and digging through a dumpster trying to find the boy’s retainer (as well as dealing with his other children) creates an avatar of the nineties helicopter parent. Gil is constantly worrying about doing the right thing as a parent, terrified that he’ll ruin his son’s life forever. The scene in which he takes over for “Cowboy Dan” at his son’s birthday party is vintage Steve Martin. Priceless. Screenplay by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. Directed by Ron Howard.
Daniel Hillard: Mrs. Doubtfire. In this classic comedy, Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) is a voice actor actor so absorbed in his own children that he neglects his career and financial responsibilities that his wife Miranda (Sally Fields) divorces him and is granted full custody. Desperate to maintain contact with his children, Daniel resorts to dressing up as Mrs. Doubtfire, a formidable English nanny, who applies for the job of taking take care of Daniel’s children. Impressed with Mrs. Doubtfire and with no clue that she is actually her ex in disguise, Miranda hires him. In this new role, Williams is forced to confront his own deficiencies as a parent and the sublime joys of earning not only his children’s love, but their respect as well. Screenplay by Randi Mayern Singer and Leslie Dixon. Directed by Chris Columbus.
Phil Dunfy: Modern Family; The history of television is littered with the corpses of all sorts of TV dads, from the sensible (Ward Cleaver and Mike Brady) to the bizarre (Herman Munster and Gomez Addams) and, finally and notably, to the truly idiotic (Homer Simpson and Al Bundy). Phil Dunfy (Ty Burrell) is a fascinating amalgam of some of the strongest qualities from each of these categories. His is a devoted and intelligent father who is at time eminently clueless. He is also as big a kid as any one of his children, particularly Luke (Nolan Gould), the youngest. Part of Phil’s charm is his own childlike wonder and enthusiasm for pursuits like magic, male cheerleading, and tumbling. He is a goofball, but there is no denying his love and enthusiasm for his family. Created by Christopher Lloyd and Steve Levitan.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (work for hire), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Stanley Banks: Father of the Bride: In this brilliant 1950 comedy, Stanley Banks (Spencer Tracy) is a solid family citizen and devoted father who learns that his young daughter Kay (Elizabeth Taylor) is engaged to be married. At first, like most fathers, he is reluctant to let his little girl go, but soon accepts the inevitable. He is then sucked into a whirlwind of showers, rehearsal dinners, fittings, plantings, and prenuptial misunderstandings. Dismayed by the expense and general chaos now bombarding his previously stable and comfortable life, he still maintains admirable patience and forbearance toward the whole bewildering situation. Tracy is at his understated comic best here while Taylor is simply radiant as the blushing bride. Screenplay by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. Directed by Vincente Mannelli.