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 aleck 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 Sacramento and find their drunk, love-struck 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:

road movie | odd couple | remake of french film | remake | attempted suicide | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Crystal and Williams made an appearance on the television series Friends (1994) at the same time as this movie.

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Goofs

When Dale and Jack are driving slowly over the bridge, an overhead shot shows a minivan behind them in the slow lane. When the camera shot changes to inside the car, a sedan is behind them.

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Quotes

Jack Lawrence: This kid is a major pain in the ass, he's so damn annoying.
Carrie: You don't like anything that's annoying.
Jack Lawrence: Who does?
Carrie: [serious] No, I mean that's a special thing for you.

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Crazy Credits

Film title logo at the end of end credits

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Connections

Referenced in Nostalgia Critic: A.I: Artificial Intelligence (2013)

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Soundtracks

Cowboy Man
Written and Performed by Lyle Lovett
Courtesy of MCA Records/Curb Music Company
By arrangement with Universal Music Special Markets

User Reviews

Just bad

For a movie that stars Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, you'd automatically expect this film to be laugh out loud funny, but instead, what you get is a contrived cliche after cliche film that never actually goes anywhere. The jokes really don't add up anywhere because the humor is stale. Ivan Reitman's a good director but it seems he's got to pick up better scripts. "Father's Day" suffers unnecessary length and a script that seems to dwell a little too much on dull.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 May 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fathers' Day

Filming Locations:

Treasure Island, San Francisco Bay, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$85,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,776,159, 11 May 1997

Gross USA:

$28,598,376

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$28,598,376

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