Father of the Year movie review (2018) | Roger Ebert (2024)

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Father of the Year movie review (2018) | Roger Ebert (1)

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The arrangement between Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison and Netflix keeps rolling, resulting in this week’s “Father of the Year,” the kind of quickie comedy project that was clearly conceived, executed, and released in an incredibly small window of time. It’s not as abrasively awful as the worst of Netflix/Madison projects (“The Ridiculous Six” still holds the standard), it’s just forgettable. It’s akin to a mediocre sitcom you might catch on network TV on a Monday night. You won't hate the experience of watching it, but you’ll forget you saw it before it’s even over.

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David Spade does what is basically a riff on his Joe Dirt character as a hard-drinking, not-too-bright guy named Wayne, father to a sweet kid named Ben (Joey Bragg). Ben has come home with his best buddy Larry (Matt Shively) and the two young men have one of those drunken conversations about whose dad would win in a fist fight. Larry’s dad Mardy (Nat Faxon) is the polar opposite of Wayne—he's ascientist who is so meek that he’s being bullied by his own eight-year-old. So it’s either the guy so dumb that he builds a makeshift pool in the flatbed of his neighbor’s truck or the one being owned by a third grader. When Wayne hears word that the guys think Mardy is the likely winner, he takes it as a personal affront and challenges the father of his son’s BFF to an actual fight. It doesn’t go well.

If you’re wondering how on Earth two dads maybe fighting each other could sustain the plot of a film, you're already asking more pertinent questions than the filmmakers. There are other subplots, of course, including a potential relationship between Ben and a girl from his past named Meredith (Bridget Mendler) and the fact that the fracas between Wayne and Mardy might cost Ben his future. For the most part, however, the plot here is just one of those Happy Madison skeletons on which to hang bits such as Wayne and Ben participating in a weird local “Wife Race” and Mardy getting high and begging the dealer to take off his clothes (don’t ask … it’s a really weird scene, even for Happy Madison).

To be fair, there are a few funny moments scattered throughout “Father of the Year,” and some of the performers here are undeniably likable. The young actors, particularly Mendler and Shively, could easily work in better material, and I’ve always liked Faxon—the idea to contrast his more buttoned-up comic timing with Spade’s anything-for-a-joke aesthetic isn’t a bad one. It’s just that this is another one of those Happy Madison movies that doesn’t put any effort in after the clever idea was greenlit. You can always picture someone saying, “Just put Faxon and Spade in the movie and it will write itself.” And that’s how you get to so many scenes that feel lazy and jokes that simply haven’t been punched up. It’s just too lazy to work.

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And yet people will probably watch it. Spade was on Howard Stern this week talking about how many people watched “The Do-Over,” and the excellent interview got mehopingagain that perhaps this would be the Netflix/Madison project to finally work, the one that could make this whole collaboration worthwhile. That’s one of the reasons that I keep coming back to these movies (I’ve reviewed all five so far) and, believe it or not, I still hope every time that this one will finally be a diversion I can recommend to just get away from the real world for an hour or two. It’s not my fault they keep letting me down.

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Film Credits

Father of the Year movie review (2018) | Roger Ebert (9)

Father of the Year (2018)

Rated NR

94 minutes

Cast

David Spadeas Wayne

Nat Faxonas Mardy

Joey Braggas Ben

Matt Shivelyas Larry

Bridgit Mendleras Meredith

Bill Kottkampas PJ

Ashley Spillersas Olivia

Director

  • Tyler Spindel

Writer

  • Brandon Cournoyer
  • Tyler Spindel

Cinematographer

  • Brad Shield

Editor

  • Tom Costain
  • Jason Gourson

Composer

  • Elmo Weber

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Father of the Year movie review (2018) | Roger Ebert (2024)

FAQs

Father of the Year movie review (2018) | Roger Ebert? ›

It's not as abrasively awful as the worst of Netflix/Madison projects (“The Ridiculous Six” still holds the standard), it's just forgettable. It's akin to a mediocre sitcom you might catch on network TV on a Monday night. You won't hate the experience of watching it, but you'll forget you saw it before it's even over.

What was the last film Roger Ebert reviewed? ›

The last review by Ebert published during his lifetime was for the film The Host, which was published on March 27, 2013. The last review Ebert wrote was for To the Wonder, which he gave 3.5 out of 4 stars in a review for the Chicago Sun-Times. It was posthumously published on April 6, 2013.

Is Father of the Year funny? ›

It's not Avatar, and it's not Goodfellas, but for what it is - a goofy little comedy with weird characters and a young-love story - "Father of the Year" was a pleasantly harmless bit of fun.

Were Siskel and Ebert friends? ›

After Siskel's death, Ebert reminisced about their close relationship saying: Gene Siskel and I were like tuning forks, Strike one, and the other would pick up the same frequency. When we were in a group together, we were always intensely aware of one another.

What is the movie Father of the Year about? ›

What were Roger Ebert's final words? ›

Sometime ago, I heard that Roger Ebert's wife, Chaz, talked about Roger's last words. He died of cancer in 2013. “Life is but a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Did Roger Ebert have any children? ›

Personal life. Ebert was married to Chaz Hammelsmith from July 18, 1992 until his death in 2013. They had no children.

Is Father of the Year a good movie? ›

User reviews180

A 6/10 for a comedy is ok in my book. Still doesn't have replay value but I'm happy to watch a comedy in this era that doesn't involve the plot line of everyone getting hammered or partying. It fell short but not a garbage movie.

Is Father of the Year a Happy Madison movie? ›

Father of the Year, not to be confused with Worlds Greatest Dad (2009) is a standard Hollywood comedy movie made by Happy Madison studio. It tells the story of two friends who debate who would win between their fathers in a fight.

Where was Father of the Year filmed? ›

The film was eventually re-titled Graduates and then later Father of the Year. Principal photography took place in Boston and Hudson (a suburb just under an hour from Boston) in June 2017. Additional footage was gathered during multiple days of filming at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

How old was Siskel when he died? ›

Siskel died at a hospital in Evanston, Illinois, on February 20, 1999, nine months after his diagnosis and surgery; he was 53 years old.

What happened to Siskel and Ebert? ›

The two remained a powerhouse pairing until Siskel died of brain cancer in 1999. He was just 53-years-old at the time. Ebert continued the show with guests hosts, and eventually fellow Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper. He continued to write movie reviews until his death of complications with cancer in 2013 at age 70.

Can Roger Ebert talk? ›

When film critic Roger Ebert lost his lower jaw to cancer, he lost the ability to eat and speak. But he did not lose his voice.

Is Father of the Year inappropriate? ›

Parents need to know that Father of the Year is a comedy about two recent college graduates who return to their hometown and challenge their outlandish dads to fight one another. Like the other Netflix Original movies from Happy Madison Productions (Adam Sandler's company), this one is filled with profanity

Is the movie The Father worth watching? ›

I didn't knew Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for his role, but after watching this movie I can only say it's highly deserved. It's probably one of his better performances ever, and that at 83 years old. The Father isn't a movie that will give you a lot of joy, it's sad and scary but certainly worth watching.

Who is Meredith in Father of the Year? ›

Father of the Year (2018) - Bridgit Mendler as Meredith - IMDb.

How many movies did Ebert review? ›

By conservative estimate, Ebert reviewed at least 10,000 movies during a career that spanned from 1967 to 2013. Most of these films were graded on a scale of four stars to one-half star, but I Spit On Your Grave was awarded zero.

How long did Siskel and Ebert last? ›

That's become the default name everyone uses when talking about the influential movie review show that aired on public television and in syndication from 1975 to 1999. But the reality is that “Siskel & Ebert” was technically only titled Siskel & Ebert for the second half of its run on television.

Is The Last Detail a good movie? ›

There's a once-in-a-lifetime feeling to the trio's every interaction—not only as characters but as performers—that makes the film's casually tragic climax that much more devastating. The film is distinguished by the fine performances of Nicholson and Quaid, and by remarkably well-orchestrated profane dialogue.

Did Roger Ebert go to film school? ›

Although there were no film courses when I was an undergraduate, it nevertheless guided me in my lifelong love of film.” The University of Illinois is honored to celebrate Ebert's legacy through this new center.

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