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Sunday, June 21, 2015

Top 5 Movie Fathers

Today is Father's Day, and to celebrate, it is time to rank the Best Dads in movies! My rankings are based on how memorable the character is, and less on how "good" a father they are. The qualification for the list is that the father in question is the biological father of characters in a story, which means no father figures, and the character's children must play a part in the film's story.

5: Bryan Mills (Taken)
One of Liam Neeson's most iconic roles, Bryan Mills is a man with a "very particular set of skills," and if he was not included on the list, you might never hear from me again. Aside from number one on the list, no other father has a more memorable quote (watch it above). With that said, the actual Taken films have not impressed me all that much. Sure, the first one is fun to watch with Neeson being all kinds of awesome, but it is an otherwise typical action flick. Regardless, Mills and his "particular skills" deserve a place on this list.

4: Clark Griswold (National Lampoon's Vacation)
 Easily the funniest father on the list, Clark Griswold just wants to have a fun vacation with family, and somehow, something, often times himself, just screws everything up! Clark is at his best towards the end of each film as he reaches the limits of his mental endurance and goes off on some of the most memorable comedic rants in cinema. My favorite being his rant at the end of Christmas Vacation, my favorite of the franchise.

3: Vito Corleone (The Godfather)
When constructing a list of film fathers, how could the Godfather not make the list!? If not, who knows, I might wake up with a horse’s head in my bed. All jokes aside, Vito Corleone, played by the brilliant Marlon Brando, is most definitely an unforgettable film father. Sure, you could make a case that his son should be on the list, but Michael rarely interacted with his children, whereas the entire plot of The Godfather revolves around Vito and his family. 

2: Professor Henry Jones
"Junior? It is you Junior!" Played by Sir Sean Connery, Professor Henry Jones Senior has been one of my favorite film fathers for many, many years. Of all the fathers on the list, no other is featured so prominently with his child than Henry Jones Senior. His banter with son is always entertaining to watch no matter how many times you watch it. The character added another layer of humanity to Indy's character, which made The Last Crusade almost as iconic as the original.

1: Darth Vader 
How could there be any other? If, for some absurd reason, you do not already know the most well known spoiler in the history of cinema, aka The Empire Strikes, do not continue reading. With that out of the way, Vader is easily the most iconic father in cinematic history. No other film father comes even close to Vader, or almost any character. Sure, Vader might not have exactly been the greatest father in the galaxy considering that he chopped off his son's hand, but we all make mistakes, right?  In the end, Vader sacrificed his own life for that of his son, and despite all of the pain he caused; he brought Balance to the Force.

Who are your favorite cinema dads? Please comment below and let me know!

Honorable Mention: Michael Corleone (The Godfather), Howard Stark, Jor El, Pa Kent, Joseph "Coop" Cooper (Interstellar),

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13 comments:

  1. Awesome post. :) I agree with the Vader one (I can't recall the other movies) especially. I'd be surprised if someone didn't know about the whole father Anakin thing, though. I mean, his name quite literally means Darth Father in German!

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    1. Thanks! :) I would be surprised if people did not know it either, but you never know. And that's interesting about how Vader means Father in German!

      -James

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  2. I'm adding Glenn Ford's Jonathan Kent from the original Superman (1977)! Top dad!

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    1. I liked his character as well, although he was not in the movie all that much. At least he was a lot better than Man of Steel's version.

      -James

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  3. Cool post! :D Agreed, Darth Vader is definitely at the top of the list because he's just that cool (I think everyone knows the twist except for little kids who haven't seen it yet- I even knew before I saw Star Wars because of Toy Story 2; I saw the scene and some of the adults were laughing, so I asked my dad about it and he explained about how it was a parody of Star Wars). Indiana Jones's dad was also hilarious! XD That wasn't my favorite Indy movie, but that was one of the best parts of that particular movie. For me, I'd probably add Skye's biological father, since, while he wasn't a good person, I think he was a good character.

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    1. Thanks! :D I know, everyone should know, but who knows, there might be a few that somehow have avoided for their entire lives. XD I wish remembered my time watching The Empire Strikes Back, but it is one of those things that I just knew for as long as I can remember. True Skye's father was a good character. If I were ranking TV dads he would make it!

      -James

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  4. Henry Jones! Yes! I would add Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch from "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Michael Keaton in "Mr. Mom."

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    1. Ah, I forgot to add Mr. Mom in the honorable mentions, and of course Peck was great in the film, even though I never cared much for the film itself.

      -James

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  5. Darth Vader! Best choice for number one! XD Lets see, one of my favorite movie dads would Tevye from Fiddler on The Roof--he's such a great character and a good dad.I can't think of many more. From TV, the different dads from Modern Family are among my favorite parents too.

    ~Jamie

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    1. I haven't seen that movie, but interesting choice!

      -James

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  6. Great post. I think Darth Vader and Henry Jones were great picks. I also really like Jor-El. (The Russel Crowe one.) And Gregory Peck.

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    1. I'm sorry. I meant and Atticus Finch. Can't separate the actor from the role :)

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    2. Thanks! Crowe's Jor-El was good, although I still prefer the original Marlon Brando version. And of course Gregory Peck was great in the role, even though I don't really remember the movie all that well (I watched it a long time ago).

      -James

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