By Steven Hartman · June 10, 2024
Movies about fatherhood can take on many forms. Some are comedies, others are dramas, and a few become mainstream horror or action films. Many of the earlier movies on the list below show the inability of a dad to take care of his children because the men were often portrayed as the breadwinners of the house and spent little time raising their kids.
The fathers in this list are fairly ordinary. Sure, some have a special set of skills or grand ambitions they refuse to give up on, but the characters are relatable because of how they care for their children. Check out the list of movies about fatherhood and see how dads have been portrayed in several genres.
Screenplay by: Avery Corman and Robert Benton
When Joanna leaves her husband, it’s up to Ted to suddenly pick up the parenting duties while also managing a full-time career. Ted had always put his job first, so taking care of the household was a foreign concept. It’s not quite a comedy like the 1980s fatherhood-type films. Instead, it’s heartbreaking as the separation puts both the father and son in a kind of limbo until Joanna returns, wanting a divorce and custody of their son.
Ted’s newfound reality, though, makes the idea of separating from his son a painful possibility, leading to a court battle to determine who gets the legal responsibility of being the full-time parent.
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Screenplay by: Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick, and Diane Johnson
When you think of the joys of fatherhood and role models, look no further than Jack Torrance in The Shining. Oh, wait, he’s probably not the epitome of a great dads seeing how he’s driven to the violent desire to murder his wife and son. This classic slow-burning horror film follows Jack, his wife, Wendy, and their son, Danny, to a remote Colorado lodge where Jack gets to be a caretaker for the winter and spend time writing his great American novel.
Unfortunately, sinister forces are at play which slowly drive Jack mad as his son starts experiencing the shining: a psychic ability to read minds and see the horrific past and future of the hotel.
Download the script!Read More: Kubrick In Britain: Explore the Greatest Stanley Kubrick Movies
Screenplay by: John Hughes, Stephanie Garman, Hollace White, and Norman Steinberg
In the 1980s, there were a lot of comedies centered around how inept men were at taking care of their children. Mr. Mom was one of the more popular ones following a man who is laid off and finds himself taking on the role of stay-at-home parent as his wife returns to the workforce. Stuck in the house with three children, he must navigate the new world of fatherhood while his wife rises on the corporate ladder.
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Screenplay by: Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel
Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel were the red-hot screenwriters of the late 1980s and early 1990s, delivering memorable comedies with incredible characters (Splash, A League of Their Own, City Slickers, to name a few). Parenthood is another outstanding ensemble piece, following parents struggling to raise kids and thinking that everything they do is wrong—something every parent can relate to.
All the fathers have different parenting styles, yet it’s obvious that their choices come from a place of good intentions and the hope that they are doing the right thing. Even 35 years later, this look at suburban fatherhood and motherhood still rings true.
Download the script!Read More: Top 10 Film Writing Partnerships
Screenplay by: Chris Columbus, Randi Mayem Singer, and Leslie Dixon
A common theme in the tales of fatherhood is divorce and how a man must deal with the new reality of his life.
Mrs. Doubtfire feels like a movie that would never work without Robin Williams in the title role as Daniel, a voice-over artist, and man-child who can connect with his kids because he lacks the disposition to instill responsibility. This leaves his wife, Miranda, in the position of disciplinarian and perpetual “bad guy” in the relationship. After their divorce, Miranda searches for extra help around the house.
Daniel slips back into his children’s life by dressing up as an old British woman named Mrs. Doubtfire who becomes the nanny and must learn to cook, clean, and do all the things he never did as a father.
Screenplay by: Vincenzo Cerami and Roberto Benigni
The 1999 Academy Awards Best Picture nominees included two types of films: those about World War II and those set in Elizabethan times. Among the World War II films was a small foreign film that took the world by storm: Life is Beautiful.
This heartbreaking film follows Guido, a Jewish father, and his son, who are sent to the same concentration camp and must survive the Holocaust. Using humor and a strong will to shield his son from the surrounding horrors, the father goes to great lengths to ensure his son lives to see the end of the atrocity while hiding the truth of what’s going on.
Screenplay by: Daniel Wallace and John August
What if you could see how and when you will die? While that may not be the main story of Big Fish, it’s the catalyst that starts the epic adventure of Edward Bloom, who looks into the glass eye of a witch and learns when his demise will happen. This information allows him to lead a fantastic life. Or does it?
That’s what his estranged son, William, wants to know as he sits beside his father’s deathbed. Edward has always told tall tales to the point that William can’t believe anything he says. But using his journalistic skills, he’s determined to get to the truth and know the life his father truly lived.
Screenplay by: Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds
After watching the death of his wife and all but one of his children, clownfish Marlin becomes an overly protective father of the young Nemo, who has the drive to explore the world outside the safe bubble set up by his father. Marlin’s worst nightmare comes true when Nemo is taken by a diver. Marlin must embark on a wild, dangerous adventure across the ocean to save his son.
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Screenplay by: Steve Conrad
The Pursuit of Happyness is a story about fatherhood based on true events. When Chris Gardner struggles to make ends meet after investing in scanners that aren’t selling, his wife leaves him, and he loses his apartment, putting himself and his son on the streets. But Gardner has grand ambitions that he refuses to let go of, which leads him to take an unpaid internship as a stockbroker in hopes of gaining the financial, professional, and personal success he desires.
Screenplay by: Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen
Taken is the film that made Liam Neeson an action star and sparked a trend of movies featuring aging male actors with unique skills to take out bad guys and protect innocent people.
The film follows a retired CIA agent whose daughter is kidnapped while vacationing in France. Using his particular set of skills, he travels to France to track down the human traffickers and save her. With a tagline like, ‘They took his daughter. He’ll take their lives,’ this resonates deeply with any father who would do anything to protect his daughter.
Screenplay by: Lee Isaac Chung
Set in the 1980s, Minari is about a Korean father who believes in the American dream and the sacrifices he makes to give his children a better life, even if it means moving to a farm in Arkansas where he can grow Korean fruits and vegetables.
But with his son’s health problems, a growing sense of not belonging, and the inability to get the farm up and running, Jacob is eager to remain optimistic and be the father he believes he should be, even risking his marriage and having his kids see him fail at his dream than give it up.
Screenplay by: Zach Baylin
Venus and Serena Williams are two of the most successful tennis players of all time, yet the movie made about their rise to fame is about the patriarch of their family. He was so determined for his children to succeed that he managed and controlled their young lives with a 78-page plan.
From the tough streets of South-Central Los Angeles, Richard Willams trained his girls on local tennis courts, ensured they were properly schooled, and kept them away from the troubles that plagued the neglected surroundings.
Screenplay by: Samuel D. Hunter
Based on a play by Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale is a one-location story about a morbidly obese father who senses his impending doom and tries to connect with his daughter. Even if she barely shows interest, the audience can feel the love he has for her and his desire to see her before he dies.
The film is about a journey toward reconciliation with one’s past. Although the film is about Charlie, the major character arc is Ellie who comes to see her estranged father in a new light.
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