FATHER FIGURES
Poppa perfection…
The top 10 cinematic dads.
ATTICUS FINCH
To Kill A Mockingbird’s lawyer Finch is a paragon of principle as he defends a black man accused of rape in a racist town. Dispensing sage advice with the same coolness with which he dispatches a rabid dog, this stand-up father also rocks the hell out of white suit.
JASON ‘FURIOUS’ STYLES
Solid gold wisdom on everything from procreation to murder drops from the cool mouth of this Boyz N The Hood daddy, as he tries to ensure his son survives the mean streets of LA. “You’re the prince but I’m the king.” Amen to that.
SAMUEL PERLMAN
Call Me By Your Name’s multi-lingual, statue-studying Prof. Perlman adores his wife and is understanding of his son’s heartache – only turning into a scolding dad to chastise his offspring for not wearing a floral shirt. Perfezionare!
MUFASA
James Earl Jones’ other VO for a cinematic dad, The Lion King’s one is pure regal nobility and goodness as a lion sovereign teaching cub Simba how to be a right-on royal dude via the mediums of play and star-gazing. We can certainly feel the love tonight.
GUIDO OREFICE
Heroic parental protection from Life Is Beautiful’s Italian Jew Guido, when he and his family are sent to a concentration camp during WW2. Using every clownish, creative tool in his arsenal, he shields his young son from the horrors around them with play. Truly beautiful.
JONATHAN KENT
Man Of Steel’s humble farmer Kent has brought up his adoptive space baby to have cast-iron ethics and altruism befitting a Superman – and protects him at all costs. Even if that means stopping his son from using/revealing his gifts to save him in a fatal cyclone.
MARTIN BRODY
A guy afraid of the open water who lives on an island, Jaws’ Chief Brody nevertheless gets stuck into hunting a maneating shark and protecting swimmers despite opposition from the Amity Island bureaucrats. Even on a sinking ship, he still gets his man/fish.
GEORGE KIRK
Brave, selfless, annoyingly handsome – Kirk’s dad in Star Trek leaves a long, impressive shadow as the Starfleet commander who sacrifices himself to save his crew by going into a kamikaze dust-up with Romulans. No, you’ve got something in your eye…
ANTONIO RICCI
Post-WW2 Italy is a tough place for an impoverished pa trying to provide for his family in Bicycle Thieves, and a bike is critical for his work. When his cycle is stolen, Ricci tries valiantly to recover it and avoid becoming a thief himself. Moral parenting 101.
NOAH LEVENSTEIN
By no means cool, Jim’s dad in American Pie is long-suffering paternal support made flesh. And boy, does he get to talk matters of flesh as his son gets into numerous sexual scrapes, even needing a ride to the ER for a superglued dick. JC