Fathers' Day (1997)

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

Director:

Ivan Reitman

Writers:

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

Stars:

Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Jack Lawrence is a smart allec lawyer who is one day visited by an ex-girlfriend who tells him her kid was his. Enter Dale Putley, a depressed goofball who is also a writer, meets with the same ex-girlfriend who tells him her kid is his. One day Jack and Dale meet and discover what had happened: they've been told the same story and now there's a question of who the real father is. They learn their son is following a rock band called Sugar Ray around. So Jack and Dale hit the road to Sacremento and find their drunk, lovestruck son. Soon after they bring him back to their hotel room, their son escapes and Jack and Dale must use teamwork to find him again, bring him home, and find out which one of them is the real father.

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Plot Keywords:

rock | con | runaway | remake of french film | marriage | 

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Taglines:

One kid. Two dads. A who done it.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 May 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Un papá de sobra

Filming Locations:

La Cienega Oil Fields, La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$85,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$8,776,159 (USA) (9 May 1997)

Gross:

$28,659,604 (USA) (18 July 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Northern Lights Entertainment, Silver Pictures, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of Crystal and Williams' character dynamics were inspired by their HBO Comic Relief performances (with Whoopi Goldberg) of the late 1980s.

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Goofs

Towards the end, when Jack and Dale are looking through the album of baby pictures, Dale says, "I want that one," and begins removing the plastic sheet covering a 5x7-ish portrait with a blue background. Jack slaps his hand and says, "You can't do that." When they turn the page, the photo has changed to a mostly red, full-page sized image.

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Quotes

Jack Lawrence: What do you do for a living?
Dale Putley: Uh, I teach English as a third language at the Jewish Community Center.

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Connections

References Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968)

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Soundtracks

"Young Boy"
Written and Performed by Paul McCartney

User Reviews

Should have been a lot better....

You would expect that when the comic talents of Robin Williams and Billy Crystal are combined the results would be fairly amusing...unfortunately they are not. This is another failed attempt by Hollywood to Americanize a French movie which is everything that this film is not. One of the biggest problems with this film is that the boy is so unlikeable - probably a fault of both the script and the actor. You can't believe that anyone would care that this little idiot ran away from home, and that two people were desperate enough to be his father to chase after him. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss & Nastassja Kinski have very little to do in their respective roles, especially Kinski, whose role is more of a cameo than a role of any substance. The entire setting and story behind the boys disappearance is ridiculous, as is the sub-plot involving Kinski's husband trying to find the boy as well. The leads are just not up to scratch compared to their usual comic abilities. A real let down, and a total waste of time.