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"FATHER'S DAY"
(1997) (Robin Williams, Billy Crystal) (PG-13)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Moderate Minor Mild *None Mild
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Heavy None Minor None Moderate
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Mild Minor Mild Moderate Moderate


QUICK TAKE:
Comedy: Two men are separately conned by a former lover into believing they are the father of her runaway son to get them to find the teen.
PLOT:
Jack Lawrence (BILLY CRYSTAL) is a successful lawyer and Dale Putley (ROBIN WILLIAMS) is a suicidal writer. Seemingly worlds apart, the two share a common dilemma. A former lover of theirs, Collette Andrews (NASTASSJA KINSKI) has approached both of them, separately telling them that they are the father of Scott (CHARLIE HOFHEIMER), her seventeen-year-old runaway son. Neither Collette nor her husband Bob (BRUCE GREENWOOOD) can find the boy, so she figures the two men will be "guilted" into finding their "new" offspring. It works and the two men set off to find Scott and the rock band groupies he's traveling with. As Jack and Dale search for and then find the boy, their parental instincts spring to life. While they try to bring Scott back home, they must deal with two drug dealers who are after the teen and Jack must contend with his new wife, Carrie (JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS), who doesn't understand what's going on.
WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Probably. Williams and Crystal are big enough stars to draw all but the youngest of children.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For some sex-related humor and drug references.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • BILLY CRYSTAL plays a twice-divorced lawyer with a penchant for head butting his way out of trouble.
  • ROBIN WILLIAMS plays a suicidal writer who nearly ends his depressed, whimpering life at the beginning of the story.
  • CHARLIE HOFHEIMER plays a troubled, runaway teen who travels with a bunch of rock band groupies, gets drunk in one scene, and steals money from two drug dealers.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    OUR TAKE: 6 out of 10
    This is a funny movie, but it's not the hilarious, laugh-a-minute production you're probably expecting. The main fault for that lies with the premise and its ensuing lackluster plot. While the idea that one of two completely different men might be the father of a child they didn't know existed has dramatic promise, it doesn't offer much in the humor department. The lack of humor in the backbone of this story is surprising considering that it was written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandell ("City Slickers," "Parenthood," etc...) and directed by Ivan Reitman ("Dave," "Ghostbusters," etc...), who should and could have come up with a better script. Sure it's a remake of the French film, Les Comperes (1983), but that's never stopped those behind remakes from changing the elements (hopefully for the better). Both Williams and Crystal seem restrained by the material and are nowhere near as funny as they've been in the past (Comic Relief) or even as they've been while on tour promoting this film. Nor is the film as good or as funny as either of the actor's better pieces of work. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (TV's "Seinfeld") and Nastasscha Kinski are pretty much wasted in their roles as they aren't given much to work with. In addition, when the film gets away from Williams and Crystal and focuses on the plot of the runaway teen, the comic train comes to a complete stop and the film flounders about until the two reappear. There's enough moderately funny material here for us to marginally recommend the film, but it's nowhere near as good as we believed it would be, or could have been. We give "Father's Day" a 6 out of 10.
    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    A near suicide (played for laughs), mild profanity, some sexual talk and innuendo, and a large amount of choice words and phrases are the worst of this movie's material. 6 "s" words top the language list, while there are many imitative words and phrases throughout the movie. It's implied that a woman slept with three men in a short amount of time (resulting in her pregnancy), and some sexual talk and innuendos occur here and there. Robin Williams' character tries to commit suicide early on (with a gun in his mouth) and while it's played for laughs, many people will (and should) be troubled by this. Since a great many children are going to want to see this film, we suggest that you examine the content to determine whether it's appropriate for them.

    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • Jack downs a martini in one gulp when Collette tells him he may be a father.
  • People drink at a rock concert.
  • Scott drinks at a rock concert and later is found passed out by Jack and Dale. Jack says, "The first time I got drunk was over a girl."
  • People drink in a casino.
  • We find out that Scott stole $5,000 from two drug dealers, but no drug use or buying or selling is seen.
  • Dale tells Scott, "I was so stoned once, everyone sounded like Johnny Mathis."
  • People drink beer backstage at a rock concert.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • Scott vomits on Jack and later more sounds of him doing the same are heard.
  • While not really either, Bob has fecal matter washed from his body after the porta-potty he’s in is accidentally knocked down a hill.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • An auto shop manager has both when he talks to Jack about Scott.
  • Collette lies to both Jack and Dale about them possibly being Scott’s father just to get their help in finding the boy.
  • We find out that Scott stole $5,000 from two drug dealers.
  • Scott’s girlfriend tells him, "You’re boring...I can’t stand to look at you...Your voice makes me sick..."
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • Some viewers may find a few scenes listed in "Violence" as tense, but none are designed to be that way.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Handgun: Loaded by Dale and put into his mouth to kill himself, but he’s interrupted before he can (played for laughs).
  • Handgun: Used by some drug dealers to threaten Scott.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Dale is suicidal and puts a gun into his mouth to kill himself, but is interrupted by a phone call (played for laughs). His suicidal tendencies are occasionally referred to later in the movie.
  • Phrases: "Caca," "Testicles," "Banging" (sexual), "Bloodsucker," "Bitch" (toward a woman), "Humping" (sexual), "Whore," "Tramp," "Screw up," "Screw it up," "Snot," "Moron," Shut up," "Kick some ass," "Are you nuts?" "Piss off," "Bastard," "Schmuck," "Idiot," "I’m just cocking you," and "Lighten up and take the pickle out of your butt."
  • Scott is a teenage runaway and is a rock n’ roll groupie along with his girlfriend.
  • Dale burns his old writings in a large trash can in his living room, which by the way, looks like a pigsty.
  • Jack head butts many people and usually uses this tactic to defend himself.
  • Dale, a nervous, unsure driver, drives down the middle of the road, blocking traffic behind him.
  • People/groupies at a rock concert have tattoos, body piercing, and one has a colored "Mohawk" hair cut.
  • A rock singer does some pelvic thrusting against Dale when he’s on stage.
  • Jack causes Scott, who's unconscious, to give "the finger" to Dale.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • There is a minor amount of such music in one sequence.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • 6 "s" words, 8 "ass" words (1 used with "hole"), 1 slang term for breasts (the "t" word), 4 hells, 2 damns, 1 crap (written), and 4 uses of "Oh God," 2 each of "My God" and "Oh my God," and 1 use of "God" as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • We learn that Jack, Dale, and Bob evidently all had sex with Collette within a short amount of time seventeen years ago before she married Bob.
  • Dale says, "When I was a boy your age...I was pulling myself harder than a tractor pull" (a masturbation reference).
  • Dale makes a comment about a child one day being "little" and then "...the next minute he’s banging your little girl."
  • A woman's cleavage shows as she talks to Jack and Dale.
  • Dale mentions that he took nude photos of Collette for a college photography class. He then mentions that she also took similar pictures of him and he took some of Collette and her roommate wrestling. When Jack mentions that he only had sex with Collette, Dale says "Me too. But I’ve got some negatives."
  • A male rock singer does some pelvic thrusting against Dale when he’s on stage.
  • Dale mentions that a high school teacher of his showed him "...a part (of ‘The King and I’) that was obviously cut from the original." Jack then asks, "You made it with your high school teacher?" and then refers to it as "humping the faculty."
  • Dale tries to wake up Scott (from drinking too much) by giving him a cold shower. The hotel valet happens in and seeing Dale kneeling in front of Scott and working on his pants, gets the wrong impression of what’s going on.
  • Dale mentions that he needed years of therapy after hearing his mother sing, "Grey skies are gonna clear up, sit on a happy face."
  • Dale states that he wrote a play titled, "Cupid’s Shaft" (ie. Penis).
  • Jack tells his wife, "You can’t be mad that I had sex with her (Collette) seventeen years ago."
  • SMOKING
  • Some guys in an auto shop smoke.
  • People smoke at a rock concert and out on the streets of Reno, NV.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • Scott has run away from home and has been gone for two weeks.
  • Bob overhears Collette saying that he might not be Scott’s biological father.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Suicide. Dale is suicidal and that’s all played for laughs, including a scene where he puts a gun barrel into his mouth, but is interrupted by a phone call.
  • Running away from home.
  • Jack tells a story about a childhood birthday when his dog was put to sleep while he was at the circus.
  • VIOLENCE
  • An auto shop manager grabs Jack while he’s on the phone. In response, Jack knees the man and then head butts him.
  • An auto shop manager picks up a ringing phone and repeatedly hits Dale on the head with the handset (because of the above scene).
  • Jack says about street mimes, "When I see a mime on the street, I want to kick him in the face."
  • Jack stomps on Dale’s foot to make him stop laughing.
  • Jack head butts a bouncer at a rock concert.
  • Scott rushes on stage and pushes the lead singer after he kisses Scott’s girlfriend.
  • Scott pours hot coffee onto Dale’s lap so that he can "escape" from their hotel room.
  • Dale slaps at a woman so that she won’t play on a slot machine he’s playing.
  • A drug dealer slaps Scott on the back of the head and tells him, "I’m going to kill you."
  • The two drug dealers chase Scott down the street and knock over some bystanders. Scott is then hit by a car driven by Jack and breaks his arm in the process.
  • A drug dealer pulls out his gun and threatens Scott as he quickly drives away.
  • Both Jack and Dale push a street mime backwards, causing him to fall to the street.
  • Dale twice tries to head butt a drug dealer, but nearly knocks himself out. Jack then shows Dale how to properly do that. After Jack knocks down the drug dealer, the other one punches Jack. Dale then gets it right and head butts many people and a general fight breaks out at a rock concert.



  • Reviewed May 6, 1997

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