Films for fathers

One busy weekend is coming up in our area! Friday is Flag Day, Bridgefest is going on over the weekend and Sunday is Father’s Day. After enjoying the festivities going on during the day, what better way is there to relax and unwind than watching a movie? While many dads out there might be perfectly happy putting on a movie about fill-in-the-blank-sport, I decided to find some movies that depicted relationships between fathers and children that have some struggles but ultimately show love. The following selections include two Father’s Day choices, two bonus choices to relate to the other happenings this weekend and one bonus tie-in.

GOING FOR THE FEELS

MOVIE: “Fly Away Home” (1996, PG, 107 min, watch it: DVD)

After losing her mother in a car accident, thirteen-year-old Amy (Anna Paquin) has to move across the globe to live with her estranged father, Thomas (Jeff Daniels), in Canada. She finds orphaned goose eggs and raises the hatchlings who imprint on her. Realizing they will need to migrate south without knowing where to go, Thomas devises a plan to guide them in two light-weight aircraft. While the storyline is simple, the emotions are heavy and heartfelt throughout. Thomas learns how to be a father again while Amy learns how to trust in him again and how hard parenting can be through raising geese. This is an all-around heartwarming and great movie, good for the whole family.

RECONCILIATION

MOVIE: “Big Fish” (2003, PG-13, 125 min, watch it: DVD, Plutotv)

Ed Bloom (played by both Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney) is a man who knows how to spin a yarn. At least that is how Ed’s son Will (Billy Crudup) sees his father’s stories and it leads to them becoming estranged for three years. When Will finds out his father is seriously ill, they reconcile as Will tries to get Ed to come clean about the truth of his past. Though they both conclude they’re very different people, the way they finally make peace with one another is touching. Tim Burton directs this, so the stories are quite fantastic and will go well beyond the realm of believability. Still, the way the stories become grounded in the end make for one of the most satisfying movie endings I can recall.

BONUS POINTS:

FLAG DAY

MOVIE: “Flags Of Our Fathers” (1987, R, 132 min, watch it: DVD, Paramount+, MGM+, Showtime)

Flags and Fathers both in the title? Double points! This movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, takes a look at the history behind the iconic photo and statue of the American flag rising over the island of Iwo Jima. Patriotism definitely takes center stage, but the movie is also unafraid to go “behind-the-scenes” to ask the questions of why people would be willing to sacrifice everything for their country, what events led up to this historic moment, and scratches the surface of just how hard it is to be in a war. What is particularly interesting to me is that we learn so little about many of the people behind this iconic situation because there is a mystery around the event of which I was completely unaware.

BONUS POINTS: BRIDGEFEST

MOVIE: “Bridge Of Spies” (2015, PG-13, 142 min, watch it: DVD)

Bridgefest is going on this weekend and when you’re ready for a break from those festivities, here’s a movie both you and dad can enjoy. I was shocked at how hard it was to find a movie that celebrated a bridge in some form or fashion and didn’t blow it up in the end. While the bridge doesn’t show up for two hours and this movie is more of a courtroom procedural filled with negotiations, it is hard to go wrong with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg! Watch the drama unfold during the height of the Cold War as an insurance lawyer is tasked with first defending a Russian spy and then negotiating for a trade with Russia and East Berlin to release a U2 pilot and student who were both incarcerated.

DON’T TRUST DISPLAYS!

MOVIE: “Death Sentence” (2007, R, 105 min, watch it: DVD, Starz)

One June when I was in a big-name retail store, I perused a stand advertising “Great Presents for Father’s Day!” with a wide selection of movies. One of them was this movie which is rated R for, and I quote, “strong, bloody, brutal violence and pervasive language.” I knew it was a revenge flick but was aghast at the wording for that rating! Once I watched the movie, I was even more appalled they had it in that selection because the two fathers portrayed within are HORRIBLE fathers. If you want an action flick to watch with dad, stay far away from this and watch “Taken” (2008, R, 90 min, watch it: DVD) instead. I know it’s odd to include a movie I don’t recommend, but this is and always will be one of my favorite Father’s Day related stories.

So, which one is What2Watch this weekend? The choices are plentiful and depends what theme you want to go for. Spending time watching movies together and discussing them is a great way to come closer together and all of these can lead to some animated discussions.

Kent Kraft is someone who is fortunate enough to have a father who always did what he could to provide for his family. While they don’t see eye-to-eye on everything, they have plenty of common ground that gives their relationship solid footing to grow from. He sincerely wishes a great Father’s Day to all the dads and father figures out there!