There really are a remarkably large number of excellent Father’s Day movies. I’m watching one right now, Big Fish, in which a young man learns that his father wasn’t either the liar that he thought he was. Then there’s Kramer vs. Kramer which contains one of the greatest professions of love of a father for his son in the movies: “And I hate you back, you little shit!”.
Here are some others:
The Champ
The real one with Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper. Sentimental but a great picture.
Captains Courageous
This great picture is about the relationships between several different fathers, surrogate fathers, and their sons. Spencer Tracy got the Oscar but I think that Melvyn Douglas’s performance is the stronger. Mickey Rooney also gives one of his most subtle performances, possibly inspired by Lionel Barrymore, and the father-son relationship between the two is the best-drawn in the picture.
Man on Fire
Bing Crosby gives a solid performance as a divorced father struggling to retain custody of his kids. Tackles some of the same themes as Kramer vs. Kramer but a lot earlier. And I think it’s a better picture.
To Kill a Mockingbird
There are a half dozen lines in this picture that whenever I hear them I can’t help breaking into tears but none more than “Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passing.”