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:

The reason why some animals eat their young.

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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:

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Billy Crystal's character hates mimes in this movie. In This is Spinal Tap (1984), he played a mime (who was also in charge of other mimes).

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Goofs

Towards the end, when Jack and Dale are looking through the album of baby pictures, Dale says, "I want that one," and begins removing the plastic sheet covering a 5x7-ish portrait with a blue background. Jack slaps his hand and says, "You can't do that." When they turn the page, the photo has changed to a mostly red, full-page sized image.

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Quotes

Jack Lawrence: You know what? Take my car.
Dale Putley: You're giving me your car, Jack? That's so Elvis of you.
Jack Lawrence: Not to keep. To take the airport. I'll have one of my interns pick it up in the morning.
Dale Putley: You want me driving your car?
Jack Lawrence: It's just a thing. It's a priceless, irreplaceable thing.

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Connections

References Bye Bye Birdie (1963)

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Soundtracks

The Bottle Let Me Down
Written and Performed by Merle Haggard
Courtesy of Tree Productions

User Reviews

Big talents produce few laughs

Stop me if you've heard this one before. Take a terrific French comedy, produce an American remake, and watch many of the laughs disappear. Even the two huge talents who star in this film can't save it. This film isn't nearly as bad as most of the reviews seem to suggest, but it really is nothing more than ordinary at best. Do yourself a favour, and watch the original film, "Les Comperes", instead of this one. Plus, Gerard Depardieu seems as though he could give a stronger head-butt than Billy Crystal, don't you think?