June 18th is just around the corner, so it’s about time to load up some Father’s Day movies on your TV. Unlike Mother’s Day movies, these focus more on the troubles of fathers and their roles in a family. After all, mothers are not the only ones that have to make harsh decisions in the family. When it comes to even the most simple Father’s Day movie, they have to showcase the more emotional side of fathers that we might not see every day. This emotional effect is created through the situation at hand.
Emotional movies are not something we would associate with the fathers of the world. When we look at older movies, we see fathers portrayed as being these tough people who are the rocks of the family. However, as times changed, the portrayal of father-like characters became more emotional. These days, fathers cry, laugh, and feel depressed in modern Hollywood movies. But what makes dad movies so good is the relationships between the father and children characters. The Pursuit of Happiness (2006) shows how much father and son characters care for each other. The father, trying to become somewhat rich, risks everything to provide his son with a comfortable life.
If you are tired of learning facts or looking for a gift for Father’s Day, then movies are the perfect middle ground. Entertaining and emotional, you can’t go wrong when it comes to movies. We have compiled the best movies to watch with your dad down below. With so many to choose from, be sure to upvote the father movie that you would want to watch. Have a movie of your own? Share it in the comments. Show this list to your dad if you have trouble selecting the right movie.
#1 The Pursuit Of Happyness
2006 | 1h 57m | Directed by Gabriele Muccino
Starring Will Smith, Thandiwe Newton and Jaden Smith
Parenthood, work, and finding a place to sleep are three things that are practically impossible to juggle. Based on a real story, Will Smith’s character tries to get a job as a broker while also finding a place for his son to sleep at. This movie showcases how far fathers would go for their children’s future security.
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#2 Onward
2020 | 1h 42m | Directed by Dan Scanlon
Starring Tom Holland, Chris Pratt and Julia Louis-Dreyfus
The movie plot focuses on two elves and their journey to resurrect their father, even if for one day. Starring Chris Patt and Tom Holland as the elves, this movie showcases the importance of brotherly love. If you are watching this movie with your dad, prepare some tissues to hold in the tears.
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#3 Fences
2016 | 2h 19m | Directed by Denzel Washington
Starring Denzel Washington, Viola Davis and Stephen McKinley Henderson
Fathers, like all human beings, are not always perfect and have their flaws that they are trying to fight. This movie, directed by and starring Denzel Washington, looks at Troy, a father with a bad temper and troubled past. We see how his relationship with the family, especially with the children, deteriorates into a complete mess.
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#4 Fathers’ Day
1997 | 1h 38m | Directed by Ivan Reitman
Starring Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Julia Louis-Dreyfus
If your son ever runs away, you might want to fool two ex-boyfriends so that they would do most of the searching work. Starring Robin Williams and Billy Crystal as the fathers, an old girlfriend they share fools both of them with a simple lie. Through the movie, these two men cross paths and form a friendship bond that benefits both.
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#5 Father Of The Bride
1991 | 1h 45m | Directed by Charles Shyer
Starring Steve Martin, Diane Keaton and Martin Short
One of the hardest tasks a father will encounter is letting go of his oldest daughter when she gets married. Panic and anxiety set in, and these emotions were perfectly captured by the Steve Martin father character. Through this comedic movie, the father tries to cope with the idea that his daughter will marry a man she knew for only three months.
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#6 He Got Game
1998 | 2h 16m | Directed by Spike Lee
Starring Denzel Washington, Milla Jovovich and Ray Allen
Some would say that a father’s job is to properly raise a child so that they would walk their own path. Denzel Washington’s character tries to do that with his son, portrayed by Ray Allen. Promised a reduced sentence by the governor, Washington’s character tries to persuade his son to sign with Big State instead of going straight to the NBA.
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#7 Mrs. Doubtfire
1993 | 2h 05m | Directed by Chris Columbus
Starring Robin Williams, Sally Field and Pierce Brosnan
This movie gets labeled as a mother-and-father movie due to the emotional roller coaster it presents. Daniel Hillard, portrayed by Robin Williams, infiltrates his former wife’s family by acting as Mrs. Doubtfire. Working hard as a housekeeper, Mrs. Doubtfire tries to hang out with his children and help out his family.
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#8 Big Daddy
1999 | 1h 33m | Directed by Dennis Dugan
Starring Adam Sandler, Joey Lauren Adams and Jon Stewart
Being a father is not a piece of cake, especially when adopting a child you didn’t know about. In this comedy, Adam Sandler’s character acts as a father figure to his son, Julian. Throughout the movie, Sandler’s character transforms from a slacker to a rare, well-established lawyer and a loving father.
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#9 Daddy Day Care
2003 | 1h 32m | Directed by Steve Carr
Starring Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin and Anjelica Huston
After being laid off from an executive position, a father is forced to work as a stay-at-home dad. Eddie Murphy’s character and his friend decide to open a daycare business to earn some money. While they struggle at first, these father figures create a perfect daycare and find themselves a rival business too.
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#10 Eighth Grade
2018 | 1h 33m | Directed by Bo Burnham
Starring Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton and Emily Robinson
Fathers are always there to support us when we are about to enter an important stage of our lives — high school. Kayla, portrayed by Elsie Fisher, has an up-and-down relationship with her father, Mark, played by Josh Hamilton. Mark is always there to support and scold Kayla if it means that it will help her.
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#11 Cheaper By The Dozen
2003 | 1h 38m | Directed by Shawn Levy
Starring Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt and Hilary Duff
Steve Martin seems to be the perfect father figure character in every movie. In this movie, his character has to maintain his household, which consists of twelve children and some animals, while his wife is on a book tour. He struggles throughout the movie to control the picture-perfect family while working his new job.
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#12 The Game Plan
2007 | 1h 50m | Directed by Andy Fickman
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Kyra Sedgwick and Madison Pettis
Even an NFL quarterback bachelor might get challenged by the idea of assuming the duties that fatherhood carries. Starring The Rock himself in the lead role, his character is shocked when he discovers he has an 8-year-old daughter. Throughout the movie, The Rock has to juggle the idea of fatherhood and his football career.
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#13 Three Men And A Baby
1987 | 1h 42m | Directed by Leonard Nimoy
Starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson
Having one father is already great, but what about having three? In this movie, three bachelors, portrayed by Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson, have to act as fathers to a baby they found by the door. As the movie progresses, their bond with the baby strengthens and becomes quite emotional.
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#14 Finding Nemo
2003 | 1h 40m | Directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
Starring Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres and Alexander Gould
Even fishes (animated ones) can portray just how far they are willing to swim for their children’s safety. Marlin, a clownfish that is overprotective for a good reason, has to break through his fear to save his only son. Through the journey, his fatherhood is showcased when he ventures as far as a dentist’s office to search for his son.
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#15 Daddy’s Little Girls
2007 | 1h 40m | Directed by Tyler Perry
Starring Gabrielle Union, Idris Elba and Tracee Ellis Ross
Divorces are always horrible and heartbreaking, especially when the custody of the children gets questioned. In this movie, Idris Elba portrays a father, who works as a mechanic, and the custody battle he is in with his mean-spirited ex-wife. As the custody battle rages on, Elba’s character falls in love with the lawyer helping him.
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#16 Definitely, Maybe
2008 | 1h 52m | Directed by Adam Brooks
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Rachel Weisz and Abigail Breslin
It’s educational to leave your children guessing, especially when they are young, as it helps develop their intuition. Ryan Reynolds’ character, Will, decided to do just that with his daughter, portrayed by Abigail Breslin. In the movie, Will tells her how he met her mother, but he doesn’t use real names, and she has to find out which of the women is her mom.
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#17 Dad
1989 | 1h 57m | Directed by Gary David Goldberg
Starring Jack Lemmon, Ted Danson and Olympia Dukakis
Everyone should keep in touch with their fathers and even grandfathers. While his mother recovers in the hospital, Ted Danson’s character goes to see his father, and as the story goes on, Ethan Hawke’s character, the son, joins them too. This heartwarming movie reminds us of the importance of celebrating all the fathers in your family.
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#18 Parenthood
1989 | 2h 04m | Directed by Ron Howard
Starring Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen and Dianne Wiest
When the movie is adapted several times to television, you know it’s good! Starring Steve Martin in another role of a father, his character has to live through the fear that he might be such a good dad, as his siblings are also struggling. In the movie, we see the joys and sadness encountered while living through parenthood.
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#19 The Lion King
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#20 Boyz N The Hood
1991 | 1h 52m | Directed by John Singleton
Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne and Hudhail Al-Amir
Any fool can make a baby, but only a few can be real men and look out for those children. The father-and-son relationship of Furious and Try, portrayed by Fishburne and Gooding Jr., perfectly captures this aspect. Furious tries his best to educate Try about the injustices that exist in the world they are living in.
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#21 Field Of Dreams
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#22 On Golden Pond
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#23 To Kill A Mockingbird
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#24 Like Father, Like Son
2013 | 2h 01m | Directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu
Starring Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono and Yôko Maki
Sometimes, mistakes get made and kids get switched in the hospital — it happens, and parents’ reactions vary. In this movie, two pairs of parents find out that their children were accidentally switched at a hospital. This event leads to the parents asking themselves an emotional question — do they switch the kids back or stay with the ones they have?
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#25 Daddy’s Home
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#26 National Lampoon’s Vacation
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#27 Taken
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#28 Mr. Mom
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#29 Big Fish
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#30 Fatherhood
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#31 We Bought A Zoo
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#32 Coco
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#33 Liar Liar
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#34 Father Figures
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#35 Grown UPS
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#36 Captain Fantastic
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#37 The Judge
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#38 Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
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#39 The Royal Tenenbaums
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#40 Catch Me If You Can
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#41 The Godfather
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#42 Imagine That
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#43 Kramer vs. Kramer
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#44 Ode To My Father
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#45 Father Of The Year
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#46 Getting Even With Dad
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#47 Like Father
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#48 The Parent Trap
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#49 Double Dad
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#50 It Takes Two
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#51 Minari
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#52 Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
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#53 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
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#54 17 Again
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#55 What A Girl Wants
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#56 Freaky Friday
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#57 Sleepless In Seattle
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#58 Air Force One
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#59 Annie
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#60 Armageddon
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#61 The Shining
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#62 Interstellar
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#63 Nebraska
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#64 King Richard
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#65 Bicycle Thieves
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