Fathers' Day (1997)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Ivan Reitman

Writers (WGA):

Francis Veber (film Les Compères)
Lowell Ganz (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 May 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

The reason why some animals eat their young.

Plot:

A woman cons two old boyfriends into searching for her runaway son by convincing both that they are the boy's father.

Plot Keywords:

Rock | Runaway | Con | Seduction | Parent

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Dale Putley
Billy Crystal	...	Jack Lawrence
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Carrie Lawrence
Nastassja Kinski	...	Collette Andrews
Charlie Hofheimer	...	Scott Andrews
Bruce Greenwood	...	Bob Andrews
Dennis Burkley	...	Calvin the Trucker
Haylie Johnson	...	Nikki Trainor
Charles Rocket	...	Russ Trainor
Patti D'Arbanville	...	Shirley Trainor
Jared Harris	...	Lee
Louis Lombardi	...	Matt
Mark McGrath	...	Sugar Ray Band
Craig Bullock	...	Sugar Ray Band
Charles Stan Frazier	...	Sugar Ray Band

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sex-related humor and drug references.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #35280) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-8 | Germany:6 (w) | Italy:T | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | UK:12 | Brazil:Livre

Filming Locations:

City Hall - 200 N. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Northern Lights Entertainment

Trivia:

One of 2 1997 films to star Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the other being Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry (1997).

Goofs:

Continuity: Jack's martini while he's eating lunch with Colette.

Quotes:

Dale Putley: Gentlemen, haven't we learned anything from the music of John Lennon? All we need is love.
Lee: No, all we need is money, mate.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Father's Day (#4.1)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Young Boy

Sure it could've been better, but it's still an enjoyable film

When you put together the talents of Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, you bet your life people are gonna expect big things. I myself expected big things. The movie doesn't deliver on all levels. There are some badly written gags and lame dialogue ("He's having some problems with his testicles"). But throughout 80 % of the movie I was entertained and got a fair share of laughs. Naturally, Billy and Robin have incredible chemistry and I'm sure a lot of their stuff was ad-libbed. They just could've used a better script. Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel wrote the great comedy "Mr. Saturday Night," so I did expect better from them. The two guys don't always seem secure with the material, and rightfully so, like with that lame running gag about "the whirl."

Nevertheless, "Fathers' Day" is a delightful comedy and it definitely has its moments. Some won't be as satisfied as others, but I myself was satisfied.

My score: 7 (out of 10)