1. Parenthood
Is there anyone better at playing the role of dad than Steve Martin? This comedy nails the anxiety of parenting in full view of your family—and how we must accept our own parent’s flaws if we are to confront our own. Watch with your father, and then tell him you accept his apology for all of it.
2. He Got Game
After spending six years in prison, Denzel Washington plays a father who tries to rebuild his relationship with his son, a top-ranked basketball player. The state governor releases him for a week on parole for him to convince his son to play for the governor’s alma mater. If he succeeds, he’s promised a significantly reduced prison sentence.
3. Mrs. Doubtfire
After finalizing a divorce from his wife, a loving father (Robin Williams) creates a rather wild plan to spend more time with his kids. With makeup and a costume, he transforms himself into an elderly woman to pass as a nanny. All goes well until they are invited to a family dinner, putting his secret at risk.
4. Minari
Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical, critically acclaimed film follows a South Korean immigrant family that moves to an Arkansas farm. More broadly, the movie is about the American Dream, the immigrant experience, and what makes a place truly, a home.
5. Boyhood
Be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions when watching this coming-of-age drama filmed with the same cast over 12 years. The highs and lows of growing up are documented through the eyes of a child and his parents as they experience important milestones.
6. To Kill a Mockingbird
An iconic story with an iconic performance by Gregory Peck. Peck’s Atticus Finch is a small-town lawyer in Depression-era Alabama who attempts to teach his children the evils of racism and prejudice. This is a good one to watch with the man who’s always stood up for what’s right.
7. Daddy’s Home
For all the blended families out there, this comedy hilariously pits Mark Wahlberg’s tough guy biological father against Will Ferrell’s mild-mannered step-dad in a contest for who deserves the title of father of the year.
8. Sleepless in Seattle
This Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan classic might technically be a romantic comedy. Still, from where we’re standing, the relationship between widower Sam and his son Jonah is just as essential to the film as the romance that blooms when Jonah calls into a radio talk show looking to find a new wife for his dad.
9. Taken
Because every list needs a good thriller, here’s one about a dad who will stop at nothing to keep his child safe. Listen closely for the moment when Liam Neeson’s secret super-spy dad growls menacingly to his daughter’s kidnapper: ” I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.”
10. The Birdcage
When the son Robin Williams and Nathan Lane raised together returns to their Miami drag club, of which Lane’s Albert is the star, to announce that he plans to marry the daughter of a conservative politician and begs his fathers to impress the girl’s parents, the men go to great and hilarious lengths.
11. The Pursuit of Happyness
This heartwarming drama follows a struggling single father who tries his best to provide for his child despite working an unpaid internship and being evicted from his apartment. Watching this with your dad will give you a greater appreciation for all he’s done for you.
12. The Royal Tenenbaums
In this Wes Anderson classic, Gene Hackman’s Royal Tenenbaum is hardly a model father. However, his wayward and sometimes accidental attempts at helping to bring his estranged family back together still serve as a reminder of the messy, complicated, and beautiful ways that families express their love.
13. Mamma Mia!
Delight disco-loving dads with this goofy-but-fun movie musical about bride-to-be Sophie who decides to figure out who her biological father is before she walks down the aisle by secretly inviting three of her mother’s ex-boyfriends to the wedding—all of it set to the music of ABBA.
14. Interstellar
At the heart of Christopher Nolan’s dystopian space adventure (starring Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Chastain) is a story about the love between a father and his daughter powerful enough to transcend time.
15. Mr. Mom
While the idea of a stay-at-home dad may not raise eyebrows nowadays, it was still a new concept when this 1983 comedy hit the scene. Having lost his engineering job, Jack takes over caring for his three children and maintaining their home life while his wife Caroline returns to the workforce.
16. The Godfather
Considered the most excellent film of all time, this drama delves into the trouble of being involved in the family business—especially one associated with the Mafia. So grab some snacks, press play, and relax while this iconic film unfolds before your eyes.
17. Father of the Bride
Coming to terms with giving his daughter away on her wedding day proves to be abnormally challenging for this overprotective dad. After the bride-to-be starts spending more time with her fiancé than her father, jealousy hits as he struggles to accept that it’s finally time to let his little girl go.
18. Beginners
After his mother dies, a young man learns two shocking things about his father: that he’s gay and has also been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Nevertheless, the father-son duo navigate their new life together and become closer.
19. Big Fish
It’s all about where fact meets fiction in this Tim Burton film. As his father comes to the end of his life, Will Bloom tries to rewind his way through his dad’s over-the-top tales to find the truth about his father’s life, only to find that the man and the myth aren’t quite as far apart as he’s always thought.
20. Field of Dreams
Feeling nostalgic for all those games of catch you played with dad? You certainly will be after this heartwarming tale of an Iowa farmer whose vision of creating a baseball diamond in his cornfield helps him reconnect with the memory of his estranged, late father.
21. Finding Nemo
Feeling nostalgic for all those games of catch you played with dad? You certainly will be after this heartwarming tale of an Iowa farmer whose vision of creating a baseball diamond in his cornfield helps him reconnect with the memory of his estranged, late father.
22. The Game Plan
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars as football player Joe Kingman, whose life is shaken when the eight-year-old daughter (played by Madison Pettis) he never knew existed shows up on his doorstep. Though he’s initially reluctant, Kingman’s blossoming relationship with his daughter.
23. Daddy Day Care
It’s hard to go wrong with Eddie Murphy. Here, two stay-at-home dads, played by Murphy and Jeff Garlin, open a daycare center while their wives are at work. So naturally, as enrollment surges, chaos ensues as the dads try to manage the children and compete with a rival daycare center.
24. Three Men and a Baby
A group of unmarried gents is forced to act as babysitters when they come home to their New York City loft to find an abandoned baby. The immediate panic and fear of raising a child quickly develop into a love like no other.
