Fatherhood movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE: Fatherhood

Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers out there! This comedy is now playing on Netflix.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 49 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

This lovely dramedy was directed by Paul Weitz. He also wrote the screenplay with Dana Stevens based on the book by Matt Logelin called Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love. The story has a devastating premise: a father 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. The story is actually Matt Logelin’s true story about when his wife died. It’s heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time.

This is Columbia Pictures’ very first Netflix movie.

THINGS I LIKED:

Kevin Hart used to drive me nuts because he always played the same character who was basically an angry, screaming man. Sure, he was funny, but I thought that was all he could do. My respect for him soared when I saw him REALLY act in the movie The Upside. Great movie! His career has now taken on another life and direction. I’m so proud of him for taking on very challenging roles and impressed with how much his acting range has grown. I’m now a solid fan. He gives an excellent performance in this movie and I can’t wait to see what else he can do. The success of this movie truly falls on his shoulders but he is definitely up to the task.
The movie isn’t really a comedy like you might expect since it stars Kevin Hart, but more of a drama where you really get to watch him stretch right before your eyes. That being said, there is some humor.
I also thought the rest of the cast was solid, including Alfre Woodard, Lil Rel Howery, and DeWanda Wise among others.
Melody Hurd is completely adorable as young Maddy. She’s already done quite a bit of work in Hollywood and has a bright future.
There are some cliched moments, but they’re still very heartfelt. There are a lot of touching moments if you don’t mind the manipulative cheesy ones.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The film doesn’t dive very deep into all of the nuances of fatherhood, but it absolutely shows the essence of what it means to be a man who takes his role of fatherhood as seriously as it should be. In this age of the cancel culture, even the name “father” is being threatened with legislation emerging in some places to rob that respectful title from men. The truth is that mothers and fathers parent differently and each fills very important roles in the lives of our children.
I thought it was strange that none of the grandparents offered to move near the single father to help him raise the little girl. If this situation happened to one of my sons, I would be next to his side in a second. The script doesn’t really give us reasons why the grandparents weren’t able to move closer to him, even though they appeared to be retired. Instead, they pressure him to move to them.
Surprisingly, some of the humor doesn’t land. The trailer makes you think this movie is going to be a pure comedy, but it’s really so much more than just a couple of hours of laughs.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Unmarried “relations”
Some “light” profanity

THEMES:

Responsibility
Parenting
Fatherhood
Love
Self-sacrifice, putting others first
Supporting others, believing in others
Community support
Family

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