Parents' Guide to Superdad

This movie is a relic of a time past, more likely to appeal to nostalgic parents and grandparents -- who may appreciate its social context and recognize its veteran actors -- than to teens. For younger audiences, the pace and tone could feel confusing as Superdad rambles between slapstick comedy and family drama, ultimately devolving into absurdity with a madcap fight on a houseboat and a final wedding scene with cheesy voice-over. The background visual effects, particularly in moving-car sequences, look laughably artificial. And, most notably, the early '70s notions of a father's role in his daughter's life are so out-of-date they risk offending kids raised on different values.

But taken as the lighthearted family comedy originally intended, the film has some appeal. As McCready, Bob Crane (of Hogan's Heroes fame) exudes decency and fatherly devotion, despite the character's flaws. He's also a master of the disparaging-dad look and has the physical dexterity and hilariously high-pitched scream to make the accident scenes funny. Other veteran actors keep the story moving, including Barbara Rush as the long-accommodating wife and Dick Van Patten as the flustered business partner proffering woefully-misguided advice. A startlingly young Kurt Russell, as the earnest beau, and Bruno Kirby, as comic sidekick, are both fun to watch. But poor Kathleen Cody is cut off at the knees as the wide-eyed, soft-spoken, bleached-blonde Wendy, incapable of standing up for herself or solving her own problems.