This document provides a summary of 10 films that would be good for fathers to watch with their children. It briefly describes each film, highlighting elements related to father-child relationships or that most fathers would enjoy. The films discussed are Field of Dreams, Caddyshack, The Godfather, Finding Nemo, Nebraska, Mrs. Doubtfire, Father of the Bride, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, He Got Game, and Paper Moon.

2. You can celebrate fathers and fatherhood in countless ways. Barbecues are always a good
option, as are baseball games and other outdoor activities. We’re fond of watching movies
with dear old dad, and we’ve compiled a list of ten great films watch with pop. They run the
gamut from stories about the relationships between fathers and their children to movies that
almost every dad we’ve ever met loves.

3. Come on now, what more can you ask for from a movie than baseball, a
heartfelt story about fathers and sons, and Kevin Costner at his best? That’s
exactly what you get in 1989’s Field of Dreams. Adapted from W.P.
Kinsella’s novel of the same name, when Ray Kinsella (Costner), an Iowa
farmer, hears wispy voices in his fields, it leads him to plow under his corn,
which just so happens to be his cash crop and livelihood, and build a
baseball diamond. What follows is a pseudo-fairy tale that gives Ray the
opportunity to reconcile his troubled relationship with his father,
something that never happened while the old man was alive. Heavy with
sentiment, Field of Dreams balances humor and heart, using baseball as a
metaphor for the human condition.

4. Admittedly, Harold Ramis’ 1980s comedy classic Caddyshack doesn’t have much to do with
fathers, children, or the relationship between the two. But what dad doesn’t love Caddyshack?
What father doesn’t bust out Bill Murray’s Dalai Lama speech at least a couple times a year at
family gatherings? The story of the absurdity that goes on behind the scenes at a posh
country club is one of most hilarious, quotable comedies of the modern era, and it features
Saturday Night Live vets Murray and Chevy Chase, as well as legends like Rodney Dangerfield,
working at the top of their game. It’s got that going for it, which is nice.

5. Fathers and sons can have complicated relationships, and you are not likely
to find one more complex anywhere in cinema than in Francis Ford
Coppola’s 1972 gangster masterpiece, The Godfather. Marlon Brando’s
Vito Corleone just wants his freethinking son, Michael (Al Pacino), to follow
him into the family business. That’s not at all uncommon in movies or in
real life. It just so happens that the family business in this case is organized
crime. A multigenerational criminal saga about family and loyalty, The
Godfather was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, has two of
America’s greatest actors as good as they’ve ever been, and is widely
regarded as one of the best movies of all time. That sounds like an offer
you can’t refuse.

6. Fathers will do just about anything for their children. This has been fuel for films since day
one, and, at least cinematically speaking, it’s not a trait exclusive to humans. As illustrated by
Disney and Pixar’s 2003 Finding Nemo, this also includes animated clown fish voiced by Albert
Brooks. When his son is taken from their home on the Great Barrier Reef, timid Marlin (Brooks)
sets out on a dangerous journey across the open ocean to rescue his boy. That’s a simple
formula, but the movie is anything but. Full of adventure, gorgeously rendered visuals, and
engaging and sympathetic characters, Finding Nemo is inventive, engrossing, funny, and full
of both humor and heart like few films out there, animated or otherwise.

7. Director Alexander Payne’s 2013 Nebraska is a bittersweet comedic
drama—or dramatic comedy if you prefer—a quirky, at times
heartbreaking look at the troubled relationship between an adult son and
his aging, alcoholic father. The estranged pair travel from Nebraska to
Montana so the patriarch can claim a dubious million-dollar prize. Primarily
known for his big comedy, Will Forte delivers a subtle, nuanced
performance, and Bruce Dern as his father is no less than stunning, more
than earning his Best Actor Oscar nomination. Shot in stark black and
white, the color palate and flat, barren landscapes reflect the lives of the
characters, and the end result is a powerful story about watching those you
love grow old and become fragile.

8. Again, fathers going to great lengths for their children is a theme on full display in Chris
Columbus’ 1993 comedy Mrs. Doubtfire. After a bitter divorce that sees him being cut out of
the lives of his children, down-on-his-luck actor Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) disguises
himself as a female housekeeper in order to keep an eye on and spend time with his kids. This
movie takes a lot of grief and has been spoofed and parodied all over the place, but at its
core, it’s an inherently sweet family picture. It can be a bit sappy and light at times, but
anchored by a Robin Williams performance that is simultaneously manic, overboard, and
genuinely sweet, it’s well worth another watch.

9. Vincent Minnelli’s 1950 Father of the Bride is, itself, a fantastic movie and
well worth your time—it does star Elizabeth Taylor and Spencer Tracy, and
was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, after all. But for the
purposes of this list, we’re talking about the 1991, Steve Martin-starring
remake. Watching our kids grow up, it’s hard to imagine them as
independent adults, fully capable of looking after themselves. At the heart
of this film is the realization every parent eventually comes to, that our kids
no longer need us, that they’re just fine on their own. That’s a hard truth
that George Banks (Martin) and his wife, Nina (Diane Keaton), have to
accept building up to their daughter’s wedding. That, of course, is easier
said than done, all manner of shenanigans ensue, and the result is
delightful.

10. If you’ve ever wished your dad was a heroic adventurer, a peerless intellectual, or just all
around cool, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is the wish fulfillment movie for you. If your
father just so happens to be Sean Connery, even better. Steven Spielberg’s 1989 film, the third
in the franchise, sees everyone’s favorite archeology professor, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford),
on one last epic quest—at least until Kingdom of the Crystal Skull rolled around. This time,
however, things are a bit different as he teams up with his father, Henry (Connery), to find the
Holy Grail. This has everything you want, from exotic locations to fighting Nazis to high
adventure where the very fate of the world hangs in the balance. If you can’t go on an actual
epic quest with your dad, watching this may be the next best thing.

11. Relationships with fathers can be tricky and fraught with emotion, and few
are as tangled as the one between Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington)
and his son, Jesus (NBA star and rookie actor Ray Allen), in Spike Lee’s
1998 film, He Got Game. Jake is a convicted felon, serving time for
accidentally killing his wife, Jesus’ mother, in front of the boy. The younger
Shuttlesworth also happens to be the top high school basketball player in
the country. A shady governor grants Jake a temporary parole to convince
his son to play for the politician’s alma mater in exchange for an early
release. An obvious comment on corruption in politics, sports, and
education, the strained, raw father-son relationship forms the center of He
Got Game, and two terrific turns from the lead actors help make it one of
Lee’s most accessible films.

12. Not all cinematic father figures are actual biological dads. Such is the case with Peter
Bogdanovich’s 1973 Paper Moon. Whether or not Ryan O’Neal’s Depression-era con man,
Moses Pray, is the father of his real-life daughter Tatum O’Neal’s young orphan, Addie
Loggins, is a question that hangs over the movie. But whether or not there are any real blood
ties, their bond is true, and the two form an unlikely partnership. A sweet and mischievous
road movie that follows the mismatched pair, it’s also the story of a life-altering journey for
both. At 10-years-old, Tatum O’Neal became the youngest Oscar-winner to date for her turn
as Addie, and the subsequent estrangement of the father and daughter in the real world adds
an especially poignant edge to Paper Moon. And there’s hillbilly wrasslin’, what’s not to love?

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