Staying Fit
I can’t count the number of times that my father and I sat down together to watch The Godfather when I was growing up. And while we managed to steer clear of organized crime as a family business, movies remain one of our common languages to this day — a way to bond without, you know, talking about how we were bonding. Which is why I can think of no better way to celebrate Father’s Day (June 18) than by streaming — with Dad if possible — one of these 15 father-forward films.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
There’s a chance that your dad was your age when Tom Cruise’s star-making, need-for-speed original soared into theaters back in 1986. That classic about a young, cocky fighter pilot had a G-force impact on American pop culture, so making a follow-up seemed like a fool’s errand. But thanks to Cruise’s note-perfect wrestling-with-the-ghosts-of-the-past performance, Maverick is the rare blockbuster sequel that manages to top its predecessor. It was well worth the 36-year wait.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Paramount+
AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal
Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.
Minari (2020)
It’s easy to see why Steven Yeun was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in Lee Isaac Chung’s modest and gentle indie comedy about a Korean-American family that moves from California to a small Arkansas farm in search of the elusive American dream. The Walking Dead actor’s performance is sincere, bittersweet and full of heart. As financial worries and marital tension weigh on him, Yeun’s Jacob struggles to find small moments of joy amidst the hardship and share them with his family.
Where to watch: Prime Video, YouTube
Sr. (2022)
All too often, sons don’t get the chance to share how much their fathers have meant to them until it’s too late. In this wonderfully poignant and often hilarious love letter of a documentary, actor Robert Downey Jr., 58, turns the camera on his iconoclastic father, the late pioneering experimental filmmaker Robert Downey Sr., to examine their battles in Hollywood, their unusual bond and how close the apple wound up falling from the tree.
Where to watch: Netflix
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Has there ever been a wiser, kinder and more morally upright on-screen father than Gregory Peck's small-town Southern lawyer Atticus Finch? Never mind that this film (adapted from Harper Lee's novel) is a masterpiece regardless when you watch it, Peck's open-hearted love for his two pint-sized kids, Scout and Jem, is a timeless primer for doing the right thing and a blueprint for parenting through deeds rather than words.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Vudu
Father of the Bride (1950)
The 1991 Steve Martin remake is excellent, but if forced to choose we'll tilt toward the Spencer Tracy original about an overwhelmed, overextended and overprotective father wrestling with the emotional and financial anxiety of planning the wedding of his young daughter (Elizabeth Taylor). It's a comedy — and a darn good one — but Tracy makes his character's sense of loss both bittersweet and palpable.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV
More From AARP
The Pros and Cons of Being an Older Dad
Al Pacino, 83, has a new baby on the way
The 10 Most Iconic Dads in TV History
These small-screen dads are just as lovable and messy as their real-world counterparts
The 15 Best (and Worst!) Moms in Movie History
Cinematic odes to moms who deserve flowers (or not at all)