Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there. Hollywood has certainly put a mixed bag of dads onscreen–good, bad, ugly, and everything in between. Those who give good advice, those who give bad, those who take care of their kids, those who barely know they’re there. In honor of that, here are a few standouts from the crowd.
In chronological order:
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) One of the most celebrated movie fathers, Atticus Finch is simply a decent man who believes everyone should be treated fairly. He listens to his kids and he’s played by handsome Gregory Peck. What more do you want?
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) is only interested in his job and has no clue what to do when his wife walks out on him, leaving him alone with his son. He’s suddenly forced to learn how to become a dad and after some missteps, becomes pretty good at it. Very realistic in typical ’70s manner.
Sixteen Candles (1984) Jim Baker (Paul Dooley) is nothing more than a very average middle-class, suburban dad trying to deal with the wedding of his high-maintenance oldest daughter. But he’s the only one in the family who remembers (belatedly) his youngest daughter’s sixteenth birthday (that daughter being Molly Ringwald) and when he listens to her talk about her boy problems, he’s sympathetic and very, very real. Extra points to Dooley for also playing the completely flummoxed dad in “Breaking Away” (1978).
Taken (2008) Yikes. Bryan Mills will find you and kill you if you mess with his daughter. The king of Badass Dads.
The Lion King (1994) Simba wouldn’t have turned out to be so great if he didn’t have the great Mufasa as his father. One of the all-time kingly role models
