Parents' Guide to

Dad Wanted

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Stranger helps girl enter bike race; cursing, drinking.

Movie NR 2020 102 minutes
Dad Wanted Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Dad Wanted Movie: Scene #1
  • Dad Wanted Movie: Scene #2

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What's the Story?

In DAD WANTED, 10-year-old Blanca (Natalia Coronado) is a spoiled, rebellious kid who loves BMX cycling. But her mother, Fernanda (Silvia Navarro), has forbidden even getting on her beloved bike since Blanca's father was killed in a biking accident. Her mother's inability to help Blanca through the grief has resulted in a chilly relationship. Blanca barely speaks to her mom, who is a busy movie producer and rarely home anyway. Mari (Aleyda Gallardo), the housekeeper, does most of the parenting and puts up with Blanca's rudeness. When Blanca learns of a major BMX race, she and her friend Laura plot to find a pretend "dad" to perform the required in-person sign-up for the race that her mother would veto. They set up elaborate anonymous auditions using Mom's casting connections and select Alberto (Juan Pablo Medina), a down-on-his-luck cab driver who used to be a popular actor. He's in mourning, too, and quit acting after his daughter was killed in an accident. Reluctant at first, Alberto is charmed by the dogged Blanca. Her presence helps heal him as they raise money together for Blanca's new bike by performing magic on the street. When Fernanda finds out, a reckoning follows that changes everyone involved.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (2 ):

This movie is both sweet and maddeningly inappropriate at the same time. One questions the judgment of a writer and director who collaborated to create a story about a 10-year-old girl with a passion for BMX cycling, but included the word "f--k." You have to wonder who the filmmakers thought Dad Wanted is for when at its core it's about a stranger willing to pose as the 10-year-old's father both at her school and when he signs her up for a bicycle race that her mother has forbidden because it's too dangerous. On what planet would any responsible adult ever undermine the direct wishes of a strange kid's parent?

Setting aside the implausible premise, the movie does deserve credit for grappling with the loss of a parent and the way that the remaining parent's grief may lead to bad decisions and overprotective parenting.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether it was appropriate for Alberto to agree to help 10-year-old Blanca against her mother's wishes in Dad Wanted. At first, he turns her down, but then changes his mind. Why do you think he agreed to help her?

  • What qualities does Blanca exhibit that make her seem difficult? In what ways does she seem strong and decent?

  • Why do you think the mom has so much trouble communicating lovingly with Blanca? Do you believe that they have repaired their relationship by the end of the movie? Why or why not?

Movie Details

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