Fathers' Day

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Fathers' Day

PG-13

Released May 9, 1997

1h 38m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

26%

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62 Reviews

26%

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10,000+ Ratings

Jack (Billy Crystal) is a straitlaced lawyer with a loving wife (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Dale (Robin Williams) is suicidal about his stalled career as an artist. The only thing they have in common is Collette (Nastassja Kinski), with whom they both had an affair years ago. Unbeknownst to the two men, she had a son, Scott (Charlie Hofheimer), who is now missing. After she tells Jack and Dale that one of them could be the father, the pair set out to find Scott and prove who the real father is.

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Critics Consensus

A maudlin misfire, Father's Day manages the difficult task of making Billy Crystal and Robin Williams woefully unfunny.

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Carol Buckland

CNN.com

Father's Day has a few laugh-out-loud sequences, but it's nothing to celebrate.

Jul 14, 2014

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Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

A movie of implacable unfunniness.

Jul 14, 2014

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

For the comic actors, this project -- an enjoyable synthesis of improvisation and adherence to the original story -- seems almost too easy. You wonder why it took them so long.

Jul 14, 2014

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Quentin Falk

Sunday Mirror (UK)

Madcap Williams and deadpan Crystal are good value as always, but they are partnered in a glossy farce about fatherhood which doesn't fully match up to their talents.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 18, 2024

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

It's a wonder that these stars couldn't produce a funnier result, even with the faults of a weak script and poor pacing.

Rated: 2/10

Sep 11, 2020

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Daniel Barnes

Dare Daniel

This thoroughly sad and lazy comedy pairs Robin Williams and Billy Crystal as would-be fathers searching for a Sugar Ray-obsessed teenage wastoid. Unfunny non-hijinx ensue.

Rated: 1/5

Aug 4, 2020

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adam p

I thought this movie was a fun little ride. I don't understand how my view of Ivan Reitman's work seems to be the inverse of everyone else. I don't really like Ghostbusters or Stripes, but I enjoyed Twins and this movie. The best part by far is Robin Williams' performance here. A lot of everything else is pretty stale and generic, but I still found it ok. 7/10

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

This is a solid one star movie. It shouldn't have been. Billy Crystal and Robin Williams finally did a movie together and it absolutely sucks. The idea is there. Robin's character is someone who is totally nuts, but it isn't funny. It's awkward. About half way thru the movie I found myself asking, 'why do I care about this movie'? Your mind knows that Billy Crystal is not really married to Julia Louis Dryfuss and that the kid is not really their kid. You know that they both really never went out with the chick. You're not buying it. I chuckled a few times, mostly was scoffing at how unfunny it was and didn't work. The soundtrack is so 90's. Which makes it feel outdated. The best this movie could do was spotlight Sugar Ray and that's saying something. The opening is an over two minute montage set to credits to a slideshow of, at the time, in your mind, some totally unknown kid you have no idea who this is.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

A fantastic escapade with just the right balance of humor and provocation. A unique storyline with Crystal and Williams having a great yin and yang. Needs to be brought up more when we discuss Robin's work.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

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Audience Member

I don't get the hate. Love these two together. So many funny lines and a Mel Gibson cameo to end all cameos.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/23/20

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Audience Member

It has it's moments but Robin Williams and Billy Crystal don't create the chemistry I expected.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Audience Member

While the plot is silly in exaggerating and stalling away from the simple route towards its own eventual deconstruction that twisted the events to nothing, the main attraction of Robin Williams and Billy Crystal's comedic dynamic doesn't disappoint when decent hilarity still ensues as expected from the first glance. (B) (Full review TBD)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

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Ivan Reitman

Director

Robin Williams

Dale Putley

Billy Crystal

Jack Lawrence

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Carrie Lawrence

Nastassja Kinski

Collette Andrews

Charlie Hofheimer

Scott Andrews

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Synopsis

Jack (Billy Crystal) is a straitlaced lawyer with a loving wife (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Dale (Robin Williams) is suicidal about his stalled career as an artist. The only thing they have in common is Collette (Nastassja Kinski), with whom they both had an affair years ago. Unbeknownst to the two men, she had a son, Scott (Charlie Hofheimer), who is now missing. After she tells Jack and Dale that one of them could be the father, the pair set out to find Scott and prove who the real father is.

Director: Ivan Reitman
Producer: Joel Silver, Ivan Reitman
Production Co: Northern Lights Entertainment, Warner Bros., Silver Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 9, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.7M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Surround

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