10 Best Movies About Fatherhood

It’s about that time of year when we celebrate everything that fathers do for their children. With their wisdom, terrible jokes, and never ending supply of jean shorts, fathers deserve to be appreciated every day — but especially on Father’s Day. So, if you’re looking for a way to get into the Father’s Day spirit, we’ve got the perfect solution: watch movies about fatherhood! Here are the 10 best movies about fatherhood.

10 Best Father’s Day Movies

10. A Goofy Movie

Dads have a tendency to be corny and can easily embarrass their kids with their goofy antics. A Goofy Movie focuses on a relationship between a single father and his teenage son who wants space. The film follows Goofy and his son Max as they journey across the country and bond like never before. A Goofy Movie is not only a great watch, but it’s also nostalgic for anyone who lived through the 90s.

Read More: Best Nostalgic Movies That Will Take You Back To Your Childhood

9. 17 Again

It’s every parent’s dream to be able to see what their teenage children are doing when they’re not around — and that’s exactly what Mike O’Donnell, played by Zac Efron and Matthew Perry, gets to do in this film. 17 Again follows Mike O’Donnell, a father, who is ungrateful for how his life turned out and gets a chance to rewrite his life when falls into time vortex. 17 Again has many lessons about fatherhood, but the biggest one is that you should never take your life for granted.

8. Three Men and a Baby

This film has a simple and effective premise. Three bachelors — played by Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson — have to raise a baby together after the mother leaves it on their doorstep. Three Men and a Baby is a hilarious and light-hearted comedy with Leonard Nimoy as the director. The 80’s classic proves that anyone can be a father, even if they’re not the traditional type.

7. Onward

Parenting is a theme that Disney has explored many times, but Pixar’s Onward does it in a unique way by telling a story about the importance of fatherhood. Onward is about two elven brothers embark on a quest to bring their father back for one day. Starring Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, Onward is a family-friendly celebration of fatherhood and will resonate with those who had to experience the loss of a parent.

6. Finding Nemo

There’s nothing more horrifying to a parent than when their child gets kidnapped. Most fathers would go to great lengths to save their children which is a theme present in Finding Nemo. The Pixar animation is about a timid clownfish who sets out to bring his son home after his son is captured by humans. Finding Nemo allows us to follow an average dad as he constantly faces adversity to rescue his son, and in the process, learns to be a better father.

5. Fatherhood

It’s hard to imagine Kevin Hart in a role that isn’t comedic, but his serious performance in this movie about dads is one of his best. Fatherhood is based on the memoir Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love written by Matthew Logelin. The film is about a father who brings up his baby girl as a single dad after the unexpected death of his wife who died a day after their daughter’s birth. Kevin Hart proves himself to be a man of many talents with Fatherhood whether it be making us laugh or cry.

4. John Q

John Q takes the question of what a father would do for their child to the extreme. The film follows John Quincy Archibald, played by Denzel Washington, as he takes a hospital emergency room hostage when his insurance won’t cover his son’s heart transplant. John Q puts a spotlight on the glaring issues within America’s health system and Denzel Washington gives a powerful performance as a desperate, good-willed father.

3. The Pursuit of Happyness

The Pursuit of Happyness tells a heartbreaking reality of not only single fathers but single parents in general. There are a lot of single parents who can’t spend as much time with their children as they want because they’re busy working to provide for them. The Pursuit of Happyness is based on Chris Gardner’s real struggle with homelessness as he tries to take care of his son. Will Smith stars alongside his son for the first time in this film and delivers a performance of a lifetime.

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2. Father of the Bride

Father of the Bride is a timeless classic when it comes to fatherhood films. Steve Martin leads with his comedic performance as George Banks, a father who isn’t ready to give away his daughter’s hand in marriage. Martin’s character is sentimental and grounded in a way that many fathers can understand. The film takes a more light-hearted approach to fatherhood but still manages to tug at the heartstrings. Father of the Bride is about a father who finds himself reluctant to let go with his oldest daughter’s wedding approaching.

1. Boyz n the Hood

Many films on this list celebrate fatherhood and what fathers do for their children. However, Boyz n the Hood is a film that showcases why having a good father figure in your life is essential. The film, directed and written by the late John Singleton, follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects. Boyz n the Hood is an important film that deals with relevant issues even today. Laurence Fishburne gives an inspiring performance as a father who is trying to raise his son in an environment where murder and death are everyday realities.