“Fatherhood” endearing fare
We meet Matt Logelin at the toughest moment in his life.
He is standing at the front of a church, staring out at a group of people looking up at him. More meaningfully, he’s staring into a future without his beloved wife, Liz — and one in which he will have to raise their newborn daughter by himself.
“This sucks,” he manages.
This sad opening scene in “Fatherhood” — a Sony Pictures film originally bound for theaters but acquired by Netflix and debuting on the streaming giant right before Father’s Day — sets the stage for what ultimately is an uplifting tale of a man trying to raise his daughter while also maintaining his wellpaying job at a Bostonbased tech firm.
Based on the real-life Logelin’s 2011 bestselling book, “Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love,” “Fatherhood” is as enjoyable as it is in large part due to its talented star, Kevin Hart. The popular actor-comedian uses his gift for hilarity to just the right degree while still delivering a performance that hits the needed emotional notes.
Working from a script he co-wrote with Dana Stevens (“Safe Haven,” “Reckless”), director Paul Weitz, after spending a few moments on the day of the funeral for Matt’s wife, Liz (Deborah Ayorinde, “Luke Cage”), takes us back a few days. We meet an in-love couple that is being told by a doctor their baby girl is coming a little early and that Liz must undergo a cesarean section in a few hours. (Matt — with Hart selling the joke with real seriousness — asks if they can’t do it the following day, claiming he has a fantasy football draft this night. That Liz doesn’t murder him then and there is a testament to her love for him.)
All seemingly goes well with the birth of healthy daughter Maddy, but Liz soon suffers a pulmonary embolism. Over his strong objections, Matt is pushed out of the room by hospital staff, and he never sees his wife alive again.
Days later, while Matt’s mother, Anna (Thedra Porter, “Show Me a Hero”), works to convince him that God has a plan for him, his strong-headed mother-inlaw, Marion (Alfre Woodard, “Juanita”), argues he should move home to Minnesota, where she, her husband, Mike (Frankie Faison, “Banshee”), and Anna can help him raise Maddie. Matt immediately dismisses the idea, but he does eventually allow for the move if it becomes clear he can’t handle the responsibility alone.
And while he is valued by his boss, Howard (Paul Reiser, “Mad About You”), the latter is concerned about Matt’s ability to juggle his work and home. (Expect some bring-your-daughter-to-work days, Howard.)
There are, of course, some major challenges for Matt.
“I need the crying to stop!” he tells a support group intended for mothers. “How do I make the crying stop?”
Soon enough, though, “Fatherhood” jumps ahead a few years, when Maddy is portrayed by then-7-yearold newcomer Melody Hurd.
We see a strong bond between daddy and daughter, but the girl does have her frustrations that only grow as the film progresses.
Matt, meanwhile, eventually takes an interest in another woman — frustratingly also named Liz (Dewanda Wise, “She’s Gotta Have It”) — but worries how Maddy would handle him entering into a relationship. Plus, is he ready?
Best known for co-directing 1999’s “American Pie” and 2002’s “About a Boy” with brother Chris,
Weitz could be seen as a risky choice to helm “Fatherhood.” And at times he does lean too much into comedy — with the exception of a couple of scenes late in the movie, Matt’s friends, played by Lil Rel Howery (“Get Out”) and Anthony Carrigan (“Barry”) are cartoonish in their behavior and feel as though they belong in a different film.
Yet, even with its sometimes herky-jerky storytelling, “Fatherhood” gets its poignant moments right, and that’s what’s most important.
Again, that’s mostly to the credit of Hart (“Central Intelligence,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”), who says in the film’s production notes the role appealed to him both as a way to stretch his dramatic muscles and as an “opportunity to show Black fathers in a good light while being a parent.” (While “Fatherhood” does achieve the latter, the real Logelin is not Black, and the film never focuses on race.)
Several of the scenes Hart shares with Hurd are quite cute, and the young actress proves to be an asset to the film. The same can be said for two of the aforementioned women — Ayorinde and, especially, Woodard, whose character easily could have become villainous if not for her delicate touch.
If you have children, “Fatherhood” is likely to resonate with you in several instances, as Matt’s dedication to Maddy is a constant. Even if you do not, however, Hart makes you feel what Matt feels — the good and the bad — and makes you glad you went on this journey with him.