This movie surprised me. Not in its ’90s style simplicity or stupid humor. Both of which are represented quite well. It won me over with its charm and laugh out loud moments.
I recall vividly seeing the preview commercials for “My Father the Hero” which was released in early 1994. I haven’t given it much thought since. But when the movie began playing I was instantly reminded of the outlandish plot and several comical lines.
The plot is nothing shy of ridiculous.
An estranged father named Andre takes his fourteen-year-old daughter Nicole on a vacation to The Bahamas. The boy-crazed teenager crushes on a hunky seasonal worker named Ben. For Nicole to impress Ben and mislead him into thinking she’s older than she really is, she spreads the lie that Andre is actually her lover and not her father.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you 1994.
What the film does so well is the casting. I remember thinking the humor doesn’t come fully from the jokes but who they are being played on. It’s not funny to see an undercover cop teaching kindergarten. Unless it’s Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Here, the jokes are on Andre.
Andre is played masterfully by French actor Gérard Depardieu. I thought this may have been a miss. I had never heard of this man, and as such, the first act left me pondering exactly what and where the humor was.
A quick search revealed that Gérard Depardieu is “one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 almost exclusively as a lead.” Wow. He’s highly acclaimed. He’s won awards. So now I get why seeing him founder on a waterski and be shunned by tourists who think he’s a cradle robber works well.
The movie is 90 minutes. The first act is slow. But it picks up. As bratty Nicole (Katherine Heigl) continues her weave of lies to impress Ben (Dalton James), the tropes of dad vs teenage girl come to fruition. But trust me, the laughs are there. One hysterical scene depicting Andre begging his daughter to see the full moon was what won me over. It was obvious from the start how the moment would play out and yet still had me in tears.
“My Father the Hero” is at the very least a summer treat. Filmed on location in The Bahamas, the setting, music, and vacationing characters will put you in a summer mood.
Today we celebrate MayDay. Winter is over and awesomeness is here for the next 245 days. “My Father the Hero” won’t scratch the surface of your favorite films. But you’ll thank yourself for watching.
“My Father the Hero” is available in lots of places. Find it!
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