It’s that time of year again, when we bust out the socks, aftershave and Inspector Morse boxsets and celebrate the ideology of The Father. The movie world has given us some brilliant examples of patriarchal leadership. Some horrendous, some shining examples or virtue. Let’s kick back, pour ourselves a glass of bourbon, light a pipe and take a look at 8 examples of the best and worst fathers out there on celluloid. Oh, in the words of Hooper X, ‘Always some white boy gotta invoke the holy trilogy.’ If you’re one of them, then prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the lack of Sith Lords in this list.
Ah, Hit Girl… The foul-mouthed sidekick and daughter of Big Daddy. Okay, I admit… Your dad is a superhero and you’re his spunky young sidekick, taking down the baddies, hiding in the shadows, swearing like a sailor and not being the hero your city asked for, but being the hero they need. That all sounds pretty awesome if you were given the choice. But was Hit Girl given one? Whichever way you slice it, Hit Girl has been indoctrinated into her life of crime fighting. She’s been raised to know no other life outside of kicking ass, butterfly knives and how to take a bullet. Well, as a kick in the nuts to gender expectations, it’s great, but as a form of parenting? Not so much. What chance of a normal life has Hit Girl got when Big Daddy goes to the big old Justice League in the sky? Not much of one surely. Jane Goldman’s script for Kick Ass alters the justification for Big Daddy’s actions to something slightly more heroic than Mark Millar’s comic, but by Christ, it still comes across as a big dirty slab of self-serving parenting. Big Daddy, you may be named after a British wrestler, but you’re still a dick as a father.
Martin Brody moved to Amity Island for a quieter life for him and his family. And what could be quieter than a beach side resort that only picks up during the summer? Shame about the bloody big shark that’s tearing through the town’s residents like a Babe Ruth at a buffet. Ignored by the Mayor, Brody takes it upon himself to end the shark’s reign of terror. And when his son is nearly caught up in the horror, it makes it all the more personal. Brody isn’t your typical action hero impervious to bullets. He’s a family man first and foremost. There is a wonderful scene where a stressed Brody shares a moment of frivolity with his son. A simple game helps him forget all his troubles and positions him to us as a loving father. Brody’s parental instincts are brought to the front in Jaws 2, when he once again finds himself caught between his children and a shark. When your dad takes on two killer sharks, you know he’s made of sterner stuff. However, Brody isn’t just a father to his children, but to Amity Island has a whole. Protecting every man woman and child. In my head, Jaws 3 and 4 never existed. In fact, Brody is still out there, now Mayor of Amity, a loving grandfather and always keeping an eye open for any nautical threat.
The rest of this article can be read at: http://monsterpictures.com.au/features/whos-your-daddy-8-of-the-best-and-worst-in-fatherhood/
John Noonan 