Sunday, December 19, 2021

Fatherhood (2021)

IMDb plot summary: A father brings up his baby girl as a single dad after the unexpected death of his wife who died a day after their daughter's birth.
Directed by Paul Weitz. Starring Kevin Hart, Alfre Woodard, Lil Rel Howery, and DeWanda Wise.

I've often said that some of the best dramatic performances can come from comedians, since comedy is already toeing the line of tragedy most of the time, and while Hart isn't stellar here, he definitely taps into that fine line here and delivers a pretty good performance. The script helps, letting him be just a regular guy with a good sense of humor, lending authenticity to his interactions with his in-laws, his daughter, his friends, and his new girlfriend. We've seen this kind of story before and this one doesn't tread much new ground, but we DON'T have as many stories featuring Black men and their daughters, so even if it's a familiar story in a lot of ways that does add a new layer that's worth telling. If this is your kind of genre, this is a perfectly good addition.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Fatherhood < Hustle & Flow
Fatherhood > The Merchant of Venice (2004)
Fatherhood > V/H/S
Fatherhood > Broken Arrow
Fatherhood > Waterloo
Fatherhood > The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
Fatherhood < The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
Fatherhood > Meet John Doe
Fatherhood < High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Fatherhood > My Girl
Fatherhood < Malignant
Final spot: #1770 out of 3467, or 49%.

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