User Reviews

Firstly, how does IMDB pick the User comment on the main film page for 'Fathers' Day'? For, if I hadn't seen the film already, I would have gotten the spoiler on Mel Gibson's cameo next to the "plot outline". So much for IMDB's strict guidelines!

That aside, the film sucked. Pure and simple! Had to be one of the most stupidest films I've seen in a long time. Now, I'm a big fan of both Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, and I thought the pairing them together would make comedy heaven. Wrong! Instead, we get a stupid movie involving two guys in many unfunny moments who think they are the father of some snotty teen that has gone missing. 'Fathers' Day' is a remake of a French film called 'Les Comperes' which I haven't seen. It seems remaking French films is something Hollywood always tries to pass as their own. Well, at least 'True Lies' was good.

Ivan Reitman, the director of 'Ghostbusters', 'Twins' and 'Kindergarten Cop' hasn't really had a hit in the late 90s. 'Fathers' Day' is a blemish in his resume, and proves that pairing two great comedians in Williams and Crystal doesn't work if the material and plot is completely stupid. ***POSSIBLE MAJOR SPOILER*** And don't get me started on the ending where Nastassja Kinski doesn't get what she deserves. I mean, veins would be throbbing from my head if my ex-girlfriend did that to me- and it also throws the whole premise of the film as "pointless"! END SPOILER. Along with the unfunny jokes, and stupid plot, 'Fathers' Day' is really an annoying experience.

*1/2 out of *****!

In 1983 Francis Veber did a delightful comedy called LES COMPERES, starring Gerard Depardieu and Pierre Richard, in which an ex-girlfriend approaches both men separately to help find her run-away son. It seems that, although raised by the girlfriend and her actual husband, she claims the boy was the son of either Depardieu or Richard (although she doesn't mention either of them to the other). That film follows both bungling potential daddies as they pursue their "son" and finally bring him back to his mother and her husband.

American films (especially comedies) will occasionally steal ideas from French or other foreign cinemas - especially the French. It think it is more common with France because of the symbiotic relationship between our love-hate fascination with French culture, and their deep appreciation for American films. In any event, it took fourteen years before LES COMPERES was produced in the U.S. as FATHER'S DAY. It is special in several ways besides being based on such a successful French film. It is also (so far) the only co-starring vehicle for Billy Crystal and his friend and collaborator Robin Williams. They (of course) have the roles of Depardieu and Richard (although their jobs are different).

The story is similar. Scott Andrews (Charles Hoffmeier) has an argument about his girlfriend Nikki Trainer (Haylee Johnson), and runs away with her. His mother Collette (Nastassja Kinski) decides to track down two old boyfriends that she had affairs with seventeen years before (the same age as Scott). One is Jack Lawrence, a successful lawyer (Crystal) and the other is an over-emotional, suicidal failed writer and actor (and mime) named Dale Putley (Williams). To both she says that the boy is actually there son. She keeps tight raps on this, but eventually her husband Bob (Bruce Greenwood) overhears her talking on the phone with Jack, and decides he must find the boy before his two rivals do. This is a change from the original movie, as the doings of Depardieu and Richards as friendly rivals was sufficiently funny by itself.

Complicating Williams' search is his own emotional problems. But complicating Crystal's is that his lawyer is very busy, and on his third (presumably happy) marriage to Carrie (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Jack turns down Colette's request at first - but when he is on a legal assignment in San Francisco (where Scott is supposed to be) he decides to get involved. Quickly it becomes apparent that Jack is far more efficient at getting to anywhere on this search than Dale - he won't take crap from anyone (as he does very effectively show with Nikki's father Russ Trainor (Charles Rocket) by almost crippling him when he starts being threatening. Dale (on the other hand) almost gets beaten up by Russ a couple of minutes afterward.

The chemistry of the leads is the big plus here as they act and react with each other. At one point, when Crystal starts telling Hoffmeyer a story about his own youth, he just opens up the anecdote by saying "When I was ten years old my father took me to the circus". Williams quietly says, "That's a fascinating story.", as Crystal looks at him like he is crazy. Later, when it turns out the story really doesn't hold up too well as illustrating anything, Williams reassures Hoffmeyer "I didn't understand it either."

The sequences include crashing several rock concerts, dealing with two dangerous drug dealers, bringing Hoffmeyer down to earth when he learns the girl of his dreams is not someone to die for, and reassuring Dreyfus that those crazy antics in Crystal's hotel room that she overheard on the phone were not anything to break their marriage over. There is some nice little throw away moments, such as Crystal at a legal deposition, learning from a seedy gentleman that two ruinous disasters at his previous businesses (a fire and a gas explosion - both after midnight) were "acts of God". Williams rehearsing in various costumes how to introduce himself to his "son" (including a rap artist, a sophisticate in a robe, and an eastern spiritual philosopher) is worth looking at. And then there is the cameo by Mel Gibson, as the ultimately stoned face piercing expert.

The conclusion of the film is different from the French original. Some might think that a weakness, but I find it fascinating for giving an out to both men from a no-win situation. The change does not prevent the film from being entertaining to the viewer, if not as good as the original.

Robin Williams and Billy Crystal are two of the funniest men in the business and it is their own brilliance as comedians that makes FATHER'S DAY worth a look. In this rather lame comedy, a woman named Colette (a miscast Natassia Kinski)has a fight with her son (bland newcomer Charlie Hofheimer)who runs away from home to follow his girlfriend who is following a touring rock band. While the boy's father (Bruce Greenwood) sets out to find him, Colette calls two men from her past (Crystal, Williams)who she had affairs with years ago, tells both men that the boy is their son to get them to help in the search for the boy. Crystal is a successful attorney fresh into his third marriage (to Julia Louis Dreyfuss) and Williams is a suicidal writer who has a gun to his head when Colette calls. The plot takes all the routes you would expect but Williams and Crystal are so funny that you don't mind taking the ride. I suspect large portions of their scenes together are improvised and nobody does that better than these two. When these two are off-screen, the movie comes to a screeching halt, but when they are on, they somehow manage to make this convoluted mess worth sitting through. No classic, but Williams and Crystal fans might want to check it out.

Father's Day is a cute movie with a few cameo appearances from Hollywood personalities. Sugar Ray plays several songs and Mel Gibson is a body piercer. Two men find each other as they search for a young boy who might be either of their sons. The son ends up getting in trouble as he follows Sugar Ray around to different cities and is saved from his problems by Dale (Billy Crystal) and Jack (Robin Williams). By the end of the movie, it turns out that neither of the men are the father of Scott and that Scott's mother was only using Dale and Jack to find her son for her. Both men return to their lives, happier and they both have their own women to share their future with. Its a happy, feel good movie with some good humor from Crystal and Williams.

Pretty good movie, but nothing amazing to go out of your way to view. Its pretty much a Saturday afternoon sit down, relax, and have lunch kind of movie.

If any of you have seen "Les Comperes" you know what I an talking about. This movie is just an absolute joke. Sure the big name talents make it seem like a great movie, but all in all it's just a waste of time. The storyline just doesn't seem as great. A kid runs away to follow a band. At least "Les Comperes" was funny. This was just *sighs* boring. Besides, Gerard Depardieu kicked the crap out of Francois Pignon so much it was just hilarious. This was just a watered down version of a pretty good French comedy. For once the French have done something better than us. It is a sign of things to come. Soon the U.S. will just bow down to the French as the better ones in movie making. Tis a shame!!!!!

A really enjoyable movie with some messages that aren't shoved in your face. You know, that's the magic of these comedy movies in the 80's, 90's and even the 2000's, most of the times comedy movies were just very entertaining and at the end of the movie had a heartfelt message. I particularly liked the part with the kid and Nikki. Their relationship is so confusing, but that's the point. Most people in a relationship, definitely during their teenage years, don't communicate well and makes the other person confused. I really liked that cuz i didn't expect it in this film. The combo of Billy and Robin is gold.