Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Well-acted drama about emotional trauma has sex, drinking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Fathers and Daughters
What's the Story?
FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS is the name of the novel that Jake, a loving father (Russell Crowe), writes as a love letter to his 8-year-old daughter, Katie. Her mother died in a car accident caused by Jake's speeding; he also sustained brain injuries that caused seizures and manic-depressive episodes. Jake struggles to be a great father, writing madly to keep bread on the table, but he's advised that unless he checks into a mental institution for electroshock therapy, he will deteriorate, threatening his ability to care for his daughter. During Jake's seven months of treatment, Katie stays with her wealthy aunt and uncle, and soon they sue for custody, which ruins Jake financially. Intercut with this is Kate's story more than 20 years later, as she struggles to feel love and make connections -- abilities that were derailed by her early loss.
Is It Any Good?
Overall, this is a moving, well-acted drama about the struggles of surviving childhood trauma. It falls prey to the pitfalls of movies about writers -- watching them commit genius to paper is never particularly dramatic. And in its efforts to prove the depth of the relationship between father and daughter, the movie has a few cloying, clichéd moments of daddy-kid bonding and affection. The villains, too, are a bit more predictably villainy than necessary. The aunt who wants to steal Katie from her father is emotionally cold and drinks too much, while her slick lawyer husband is just a tad too rich and smug to be more than a telegraphic signal of Bad Guy.
But it's to the movie's credit that stars Crowe, Amand Seyfried, Aaron Paul, and Kylie Rogers (who admirably plays Katie at age 8), make even weak moments in Fathers and Daughters' plot work well. Seyfried makes her character's battle to trust in the possibility of love believable and involving, and her scenes with a young traumatized patient (played by Quvenzhane Wallis) are some of the best in the film.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Fathers and Daughters tackles emotional trauma. Do you think the girl that adult Katie helps reminds her of her own suffering as a child? How does that help her move forward?
How does the movie portray Jake as a father? Is he sympathetic despite his flaws? Why do you think Katie's aunt and uncle try to take her from her him?
How does the movie portray drinking and sex? Is either glamorized at all? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
Movie Details
- In theaters : July 8, 2016
- On DVD or streaming : August 9, 2016
- Cast : Russell Crowe , Amanda Seyfried , Aaron Paul
- Director : Gabriele Muccino
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Vertical Entertainment
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 116 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some sexual content/references
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
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