Father's day: the best father figures in cinema

Father's day

March 19, like every year, is the day dedicated to a special greeting to all fathers. We therefore decided to draw up a small list of films that place important and unforgettable father figures at the center of their plot. So, depending on your daily mood and whether you want to see a gangster movie, a comedy or a horror movie, you will have an excellent range of guess and perfect choices for the occasion.

7 movie for 7 dads

For Stellar Dads: The Empire Strikes Back For Dads Looking for Adventure: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade For Daddy Storytellers: Big Fish For Over-Stressed Dads: The Shining For Playful Dads: Mrs. Doubtfire For melancholy dads: He was my dad For dads ready for anything: Interstellar

The empire strikes again

We can only start with what, for many of us, are the foundations of cinematography. The Star Wars universe is always an excellent refuge in which to go and look for any theme, reflection or figure to be treated. George Lucas did not discount and decided, "simply", to insert the whole range of emotions that human beings (and not only) are able to feel. If we have to talk about father figures then, it becomes mandatory to mention the second chapter of the first trilogy (present, as well as the whole saga, on Disney +).

At the moment in which the fearsome antagonist turns out to be the father of the hero, the world under the feet of the spectators of the whole planet Earth has collapsed. Darth Wader, however, beyond the twists, is actually a very interesting figure (so much so that he becomes the real protagonist of the second trilogy). In addition to being the calamity of the action, it is also Luke's magnet: the unspoken blood relationship that binds the two characters, in fact, seems to reveal itself in this continuous fascination that both feel each other. Reviewing these films already knowing what lies ahead allows you to notice many hidden dramaturgical details that might escape at first sight.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

The funniest, funniest and most easygoing cinema, however, remains undoubtedly Sean Connery in the third installment of the Indiana Jones saga. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film is perhaps the most beloved of those starring the famous archaeologist played by Harrison Ford. The director, for the adventures of Indiana, has always stated that he was inspired by James Bond.

In some ways, 007 is a bit like Indy's dad. In this sense, having to work at the casting to find just the right face to associate with such a role, Spielberg did not think twice and immediately hired the one and inimitable secret agent in the service of his Majesty, the late Sir Sean Connery. The couple works great and the film brings back one of the most genuine and fun relationships between dad and son. The film is featured in both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video catalogs.

Big Fish

Shortly after the disappearance of his dad, with whom he did not have an idyllic relationship, Tim Burton became put to work on what is probably still his best film today. There is everything in Big Fish: magic, love, adventure and a moving ending. The story is a carnival of fantastic tales in which the life (real or fictional) of a very affable father is cornered by an adult son who is tired of certain nonsense.

In addition to being a bit 'the culmination of all Tim Burton's cinema, Big Fish is the ideal film to try and mend a somewhat flawed family relationship. In fact, it is really impossible to hold back the tears, especially in the last sequences thanks to an epilogue full of hope and optimism. Available on Netflix.

Shining

The horror masterpiece directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1980 is of a completely different caliber. Based on the Stephen King novel, The Shining is a film suitable for all dad a little angry, or who prefer to avoid certain recurrences. But I recommend: don't try this at home! Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, a family man who moves with his wife and son to a hotel where he will fall victim to some unpleasant effects that will gradually lead him to lose his lucidity.

Kubrick certainly doesn't need big presentations, in this film, however, he seems to overcome himself managing to manage the emotional apparatus in an excellent way, always very tense and creepy. Nicholson in turn gives us probably the best interpretation of his career. It is said that on the set he really lost his reason because he was stressed by the director's modus operandi. But it all worked perfectly to get into the shoes of a dad now out of his mind.

Mrs. Doubtfire

Many of us miss Robin Williams. One of his most successful works in bringing out the comic and transformist vein that characterized him is surely Mrs. Doubtfire. Directed by Chris Columbus, the same director of the first Harry Potter and Mom, I Missed Plane films, the film is a family comedy that tells just how far a dad's love for loved ones can go far.



To deceive the authorities and return to enjoy the warmth of her children, Robin Williams will play the role of a loving and unique nanny, thus giving life to one of the most recognizable masks of her career . Beyond the actor's skill, the film (which you can catch up on Disney +) is the perfect opportunity for a family night out and also to try and mend some slightly flawed relationship.

It was mine father

Directed by Sam Mendes, the director of the latest films in the James Bond saga and the 1917 blockbuster, It was my father already from the title suggests the flavor of the film. But be careful, it is also an excellent gangster movie capable of a double-handed dialogue with the cinematographic tradition and the most contemporary trends.

The father figure becomes central from a thematic point of view. In fact, the cards at stake are many: from the biological and / or putative relationship that binds father and son, to love and the safeguarding of the most authentic values. Obviously, everything is intertwined with the logic of organized crime, but above all the actor's "challenge" between Paul Newman and Tom Hanks becomes yet another handover, in this artistic case, present in the film. In fact, many see in the leading actor of Forrest Gump the worthy heir of the timeless star Paul Newman. A little curiosity on the side: it is one of the favorite films of the Oscar-winning Italian director Paolo Sorrentino.

Interstellar

Science fiction certainly could not be missing in our roundup. In this case, the most emblematic film in portraying a father figure at the same time strong and very fragile could be Christopher Nolan's Interstellar. Matthew McConaughey plays Cooper, an astronaut who will have to make an unspeakable journey to the ends of the universe for the good of the human species.

However, what matters most to the protagonist is the embrace of his daughter. The film, present on the Netflix catalog, looks more like a family portrait than a science fiction work. The invisible thread that binds the father to his second child is the most tenacious and resistant that can exist. Nolan has always opted for a cinema of emotions and feelings masked by a great show. Here his authorial speech emerges more than anywhere else.

For these and other themed titles, consult the catalog of Netflix, Disney + and Amazon Prime Video.