Dad (1989)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Gary David Goldberg

Writers:

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

Stars:

Jack Lemmon, Ted Danson, Olympia Dukakis

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 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

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.

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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:

Drama | Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mon père

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$540,148, 29 October 1989, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$19,738,015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amblin Entertainment,Ubu Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chris Lemmon, the lookalike son of Jack Lemmon, appeared with his father in two films, Dad (1989) and That's Life! (1986).

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Goofs

When Jake and John drive through the parking lot and stop to talk, John parks in front of two large trees, one directly in front of the car. The inside shot from the back seat has no tree visible through the windshield.

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Quotes

Dr. Chad: What maybe happened is that he was so fearful of the cancer that his brain froze and stopped producing a chemical called Enzyme that his body needed. But with a last minute I.V. mixture, it gave him that bit of Enzyme that he needed. Of course, if this were taking place in the home, it was your tender love and caring that called your father back from where he had gone.
John Tremont: I like that one better.

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Connections

Referenced in Videoclub (2013)

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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

Solid Story-Telling.

Genuine tear-jerker that has the elderly Olympia Dukakis falling ill and leaving husband Jack Lemmon in limbo. Dukakis has done all the work in the relationship and Lemmon is helpless, plain and simple. Son Ted Danson comes to the rescue though and Dukakis starts to recover slowly. However trouble looms as Lemmon will be diagnosed with cancer and go into an emotional tail-spin that could kill him. A sappy screenplay works to near perfection here and steady direction helps the film's cause as well. Watch for a young Ethan Hawke as Lemmon's grandson. Heart-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time. 4 stars out of 5.