FATHER OF THE YEAR (2018)

Directed By: Tyler Spindel 
Written By: Tyler Spindel & Brandon Courneyer 
Cinematography By: Brad Shield 
Editor: Tom Costain & Jason Gourson 
Additonal Edinting By: J.J. Titone 


Cast: David Spade, Nat Faxon, Joey Bragg, Matt Shively, Bridgit Mendler, Kevin Nealon, Dean Winters, Allen Covert, Melanie Hutsell, Moses Storm, Ashley Spillers, Fortune Feimster, Jackie Sandler 


When two buddies' drunken debate about whose father would win in a fight is taken seriously by one of their fathers, things go bad. Jobs are lost, relationships ruined, futures destroyed, and middle-aged men are knocked out. In this coming of age story about two recent college graduates spending a few weeks at home before they move to New York, our best friends come to grips with who their fathers really are as they start to see the world with adult eyes.

This movie works sort of like a Trojan horse as it advertises David Spade as the star. To get his audience to come watch, but while he is in it. It’s more of a supporting role where all the hijinks seem to happen around him and he is mostly used for the more physical comedy scenes, but the movie more revolves around the younger characters of his son and his son’s friends trying to decide what to do with their lives after college and facing an uncertain but open future.

While learning and earning new respect for the fathers that might have previously embarrassed them. Seeing them and their difficulties and lives in a different light. Learning and Earning their own way in the world. Showing partially the difficulty of today’s financial marketplace.

The film is produced by Happy Madison so the humor is mostly juvenile, gross and silly with some heartwarming moments towards the end. The film is pretty cut and dry. Building itself more as a comedy and at heart is more of a coming of age story.

The center story that everything takes place around is that David spade’s son believes his drunk dad could beat up his best friend’s dad who is more of a wimp played by Nat Faxon. Most of their scenes is them Avoiding one another or trying to fight and ending in some physical gag. They are the main attractions even as they are pushed into the background.

The younger character story lines are more of a romantic nature as spades son tries to date the girl next door so to speak played charmingly by Bridgit Mendler as the romantic interest.

The story is rather simple and is really a coming of age story at heart. Yet it feels long which show how thin the material is and how hard the film works to stretch it.

This film seems to be the typical Netflix movie comedy at this time. Where it is of a certain small budget, Hyped up and the product ends up being not that rewarding. This also seems more like a contractual obligation that Netflix is under due to a contract with Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison productions.

Which is a shame because I usually have a weakness for David Spade films.


Grade: F