Dad (1989)

While his mom recovers in hospital from a heart attack, John puts his busy life on hold to fly home and help his elderly dad around the house. John's son later joins them and they all truly bond for the first and, tragically, final time.

Director:

Gary David Goldberg

Writers:

William Wharton (novel), Gary David Goldberg (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Lemmon, Ted Danson, Olympia Dukakis

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Lemmon	...	Jake Tremont
Ted Danson	...	John Tremont
Olympia Dukakis	...	Bette Tremont
Kathy Baker	...	Annie
Kevin Spacey	...	Mario
Ethan Hawke	...	Billy
Zakes Mokae	...	Dr. Chad
J.T. Walsh	...	Dr. Santana
Peter Michael Goetz	...	Dr. Ethridge
John Apicella	...	Dr. Delibro
Richard McGonagle	...	Victor Walton
Bill Morey	...	Hal McCarthy
Mary Fogarty	...	Gloria McCarthy (as Mary Fogerty)
Art Frankel	...	DMV Instructor
Ray Girardin	...	Butcher

Storyline

John, a busy, "always-on-the-run" executive, learns during a meeting that his mother may be dying and rushes home to her side. He ends up being his father's caretaker and becomes closer to him than ever before. In the process, he teaches his father to be more independent which causes problems with the man's wife. Estranged from his own son, the executive comes to realize what has been missing in his own life. As John, his father and his son slowly bond, and even his mother returns from the hospital, everything starts seeming right with the world - until dad goes to have a minor surgery only to come out of it demented and a shadow of his former self.

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Plot Keywords:

heart attack | playing catch | coma | delusion | terminal illness | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes the greatest man you ever meet... is the first one.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of three pictures adapted from novels written by author William Wharton [to date, February 2016]. The films are Dad (1989), Birdy (1984), and A Midnight Clear (1992).

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Goofs

This film takes place in Los Angeles in 1989 but nothing about the Tremonts' house or neighborhood look like California or any neighborhood in Los Angeles. Short of a brief beach scene that shows a couple palm trees, the entire film looks like the Northeast because it was filmed in and around Boston.

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Quotes

Jake Tremont: A good driver knows when he's not a good driver anymore.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Teenage Caveman (1991)

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Soundtracks

Nice Dreams
Written by Joel DuBay, Jeffrey Litke & Adrian Liberty
Performed by Powermad
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
by Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

this remains a powerful film

I think this is Jack Lemmon's greatest performance and the supporting cast are incredible, including Ted Danson who always appears to me to be slightly frenetic in a grim kind of way. Here he is truly believable and his scenes with his own son tug at your heart they are so real. No Hollywood quickfix here for the relationship, the boy is simply closer to his grandfather than he is to his own father and nothing will change that fact.

What I liked most about the film was that the theme in less worthy hands could have been made sloppily sentimental, but here it is totally restrained both in script and direction and it makes for a really meaningful movie. The characters remain real all the way through and the script does not transform them into wondrous saints by movie's end.

It is the wonderful understatement in it all that captivated me and made me weep at the end. Jack is truly unforgettable and Olympia magnificent in her dryness and cynicism. I have seen it 3 times and each time relished another scene a little more. This time around it was Jack dragging his wife around to meet the neighbours he was not even aware of before and her long suffering face at this new and reinvented Jack makes you laugh out loud. Bravo to all. An 8 1/2 out of 10. And that scene where they dance, oh me oh my......who needs naked bodies writhing on a bed, this has sensuousness, love and intimacy in it, the real kind. Oh for more of those scenes in movies!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dad

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$540,148, 29 October 1989

Gross USA:

$22,103,037

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$27,503,037

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amblin Entertainment, Ubu Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1