Father of Invention (2010)

After 8 years in prison, inventor Robert Axle struggles to win over his estranged family and catch up on current technology as he works to once again become the king of the infomercial.

Director:

Trent Cooper

Writers:

Jonathan D. Krane, Trent Cooper

Stars:

Kevin Spacey, Camilla Belle, Heather Graham

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Spacey	...	Robert Axle
Camilla Belle	...	Claire Axle
Heather Graham	...	Phoebe
Johnny Knoxville	...	Troy Coangelo
Anna Anissimova	...	Donna
John Stamos	...	Steven Leslie
Red West	...	Sam Bergman
Michael Rosenbaum	...	Eddie the Ex
Danny Comden	...	Matt James
Jack McGee	...	Parole Officer
Craig Robinson	...	Jerry King
Virginia Madsen	...	Lorraine
Marc Macaulay	...	General Store Clerk
Morgan Saylor	...	Young Claire (12)
Karen Kaia Livers	...	Maria (as Karen Livers)

Storyline

Robert Axle, an eccentric inventor turned ego maniacal infomercial guru, loses it all when one of his inventions maims thousands of customers. After 8 years in maximum security prison, Robert is ready to redeem his name and rebuild his billion dollar empire. But first, he must convince his estranged 22-year-old daughter to let him live with her and her quirky, over-protective roommates.

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Taglines:

A World of Ideas. A World of Problems.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual material and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 November 2011 (Russia)

Also Known As:

Daddy's Home

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Horizon Entertainment, Pangea Media Group, K. JAM Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Troy Coangelo: [sounding unintelligible] You're fired!
Robert Axle: I'm fried?
Troy Coangelo: You're fired!

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.13 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Exhaustible"
written and performed by Nick Urata

User Reviews

Instead of a comedy about an inventor, we get a dramedy about a father

"Father of Invention" stars Kevin Spacey as a fabricator, an infomercial king, who combines existing products into new ones. Problem is he was in jail, now he has lost his empire, and lost his family. The key word in the title is father. The entire film is him trying to reconnect with his daughter (Camilla Belle).

Spacey has frequently played fathers trying to reconnect with their daughter, the prime example being "American Beauty" (1999). Not that one is likely to confuse the two films, but there's an underlying similarity about the pursuit of success and the pursuit of family. That's what "Father of Invention" is about but it doesn't actually explore those issues.

It's also supposed to be a comedy, but because it was just him and his daughter there was nothing clever that catches you off-guard to make you laugh. The daughter (whom, by the way, I have already forgotten her name) lives with two roommates. One is in love with Kevin Spacey (whom I have also forgotten his character's name) and the other is a lesbian. There was no slow reveal for any of this. Those facts were just presented as if they create whole characters.

The conflict which this builds to isn't surprising (it's part of the mandate for dysfunctional family dramedies) or even interesting since we never did care for the characters in the first place. "Father of Invention" certainly didn't invent anything and there's nothing special about the daughter or the father.