A Father's Legacy
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A Father's Legacy
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that A Father's Legacy is a faith-based film meant to provide inspiration for men about the essential role a father can play in his son's life. There's a lot of violence or threat of violence involving guns -- one man barges into another's house and holds him hostage at gunpoint. Other men use handguns and rifles to threaten each other. A group of thugs repeatedly threaten an old man to motivate him to sell his land, and their visits usually end in violence -- overturning the man's house, fist fights, and blows to the head. The film's key messages involve taking responsibility for one's actions and the impact they have on others, the importance of family, and the value of faith. Language includes "bull--t," "hell," "ass," and "stupid."
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What's the Story?
Billy (Tobin Bell) is a no-nonsense Vietnam War veteran living alone in the wilderness in a house by a pond in A FATHER'S LEGACY. One night a younger man, Nick (Jason Mac), forces his way into Billy's house and holds the old man at gunpoint. Nick is on the run for a crime he committed, and he has a gunshot wound in his side that needs tending. Forced together, Billy and Nick begin a tentative relationship based first on mutual distrust and eventually on mutual understanding.
Is It Any Good?
This film has great intentions and solid performances, but its general predictability and some improbable plot turns undermine its quality. The fact that first-time feature filmmaker Jason Mac, who also plays Nick, kept A Father's Legacy to a tight 86 minutes with beautiful cinematography keeps it watchable. The third act is definitely the best, when the characters reveal their stories and discover their common ground. You know this is coming, but it's still touching when it does.
To get here, however, you'll have to suspend disbelief in a couple of early scenes when Billy succumbs to Nick's threats (how do the police at the door not see Nick's shadow behind a thin white curtain?) and then opts to help the younger man rather than turn him in. There are also some awkward time lapses (the men seem to go from breakfast to bed in back-to-back sequences), and the use of flashbacks isn't entirely smooth in the narration. Dialogues don't feel exactly forced, but there's also nothing very unique or new in these characters or their conversations. The film will mostly speak to a specific audience, Christian males, and those in need of its message of hope.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what Billy and Nick find in the other that each was missing in A Father's Legacy.
What other films have you seen that involve religious faith or references to the Bible? How did this one compare?
Did you agree with Nick's choices in the end? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: July 16, 2021
- Cast: Tobin Bell, Jason Mac, Rebeca Robles
- Director: Jason Mac
- Studio: Cinedigm Entertainment Group
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Friendship
- Run time: 86 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: June 29, 2022
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