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:

All she said was "My son is yours." Unfortunately, she said it to both of them.

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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

Before appearing in this film, Robin Williams and Billy Crystal were already a well-known comedy duo, thanks to their work in Comic Relief. The original French film this is based on, Les compères also features a well-known comedy team: Pierre Richard and Gerard Depardieu. Just the previous year, Williams and Crystal had appeared (though they shared no scenes) in Hamlet, which also featured Depardieu.

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Goofs

Characters are shown supposedly leaving San Francisco for Tiburon, driving on the upper deck of the Bay Bridge - which only leads towards San Francisco. Additionally, the logical path to take to Tiburon would involve the Golden Gate, not the Bay Bridge.

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Quotes

Scott: I feel like such a loser.
Dale Putley: Come on, Scott, you're still young! Being a true loser takes years of ineptitude.

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Connections

Remake of Les compères (1983)

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Soundtracks

"Put on a Happy Face"
(from the Broadway Musical "Bye, Bye Birdie")
Written by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse

User Reviews

Do Not Listen to Critics

Sometimes the critics are wrong. This movie was very funny and I don't particularly care for the leading men but I thought they fit their roles well. Only Kinski seemed to not know what was going on. It slows up a bit in the middle and its all as obvious as the sky, but I enjoyed this much more than I expected to.