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- These 15 Classics on Netflix Are the Perfect Films to Watch With Your Father
These 15 Classics on Netflix Are the Perfect Films to Watch With Your Father
Everett Collection / Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Brainstorming Father’s Day plans to do with your dad can be a struggle. But we’ve got a solution: for a low-key hang out with dad, you can’t go wrong with loading up your Netflix account with one of these classic movies. After you’ve picked up or sent the perfect gift, celebrate your dad’s special day with a relaxing Netflix movie marathon. From Back to the Future to The Pursuit of Happyness, there’s no shortage of dad-appropriate content to enjoy. Whether you and your father figure are both into action, comedy, or animated films, you’ll find a suitable option to add to your Netflix queue. And with the magic of browser extensions for virtual viewing parties, you can watch movies simultaneously, even if you’re not physically together. Take a look ahead for dad-friendly movies that you can stream instantly for a sweet and simple Father’s Day activity.
Everett Collection / Photo Credit: Laurie Sparham
Christopher Robin
Ewan McGregor plays a staunchly grown-up Christopher Robin, who’s now a family man and dutiful worker. Lo and behold, Winnie the Pooh and his other old pals bring back the magic of the Hundred Acre Wood. If you’re looking for a sweet and heartfelt film to watch with your father, look no further.
Everett Collection / Emily Aragones
Like Father
After being ditched at the altar, a hardworking ad executive (Kristen Bell) ends up on a honeymoon cruise with her estranged father (Kelsey Grammer) in Like Father. Goofy adventures and strong feelings follow, including some silly escapades with Seth Rogen.
Everett Collection / Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
The Fundamentals of Caring
In The Fundamentals of Caring, Paul Rudd portrays a caretaker who’s a father-slash-brother figure to Trevor, a young man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. When the two guys take a road trip, they encounter a few colorful characters along the way. While Rudd is often in big, goofy movies, this is a quieter project that’s definitely worth a watch.
Everett Collection / Macall Polay
The Week Of
Comedy legends Chris Rock and Adam Sandler double down in this feel-good Netflix flick about two loving fathers who frantically prepare in the week of their children’s wedding. While they don’t agree on everything, a series of mishaps forces them to work together.
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Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a classic and, literally, a dad movie – via the DeLorean time machine, Marty McFly ends up hanging out with his dad in 1955. Other than returning to the future, Marty also has to get his parents, then high schoolers, to fall in love with each other so that his existence won’t be erased.
Everett Collection / Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
The Half of It
Alice Wu’s The Half of It follows small-town teenager Ellie Chu as she pens letters for her friend Paul to their mutual crush, Aster. Besides its coming-of-age and romantic aspects, the movie is also about Ellie’s loving and complicated relationship with her immigrant father.
Everett Collection / Copyright Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection
Always Be My Maybe
Always Be My Maybe is a perfectly delightful rom-com about childhood best friends (Ali Wong and Randall Park) who romantically reconnect in the future (with the added bonus of a hilarious cameo from Keanu Reeves). The film also explores the loving father-son relationship between Marcus (Park) and his father (James Saito) as they navigate the aftermath of his mother’s untimely death.
Everett Collection / Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Guess Who
In this contemporary (well, 2005) update of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?, Theresa (Zoe Saldana) and Simon (Ashton Kutcher) are a deeply in-love couple who announce their engagement. There’s one problem, though: Theresa’s father (the late Bernie Mac) isn’t crazy about the fact that his future son-in-law is a white guy.
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Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark isn’t about dads per se, but being the classic that it is, you’ve got yourself a foolproof Father’s Day watch. In the first Indiana Jones movie, we follow the infamous archaeologist as the government hires him to track down the Ark of the Covenant.
Watch Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark on Netflix.
Everett Collection / Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
What a Girl Wants
Amanda Bynes and Colin Firth make for the cutest father-daughter duo in What a Girl Wants. In this sweet teen comedy, American teenager Daphne (Bynes) goes on a journey to find her long-lost father (Firth), who’s now an important political figure in England.
Everett Collection / Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Groundhog Day
In Groundhog Day, Bill Murray offers up a witty dad vibe as he portrays a cynical weatherman who’s forced to live the same day over and over again. A family crowd-pleaser, this classic movie situates itself between heartfelt and dry humor.
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The Pursuit of Happyness
Based on a true story, this heartfelt movie stars Will Smith as a salesman who takes up an unpaid internship at a stock brokerage firm when he and his son (played by his IRL son Jaden Smith) are evicted. Be sure to have some tissues on hand!
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Despicable Me
If your dad is someone who loves an animated classic, put on the endlessly entertaining Despicable Me, which is certifiably one of the most beloved children’s films. Steve Carell voices supervillain Gru, who’s out to steal the moon. The only hitch in his plan comes in the form of three cute orphan girls.
Everett Collection / Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Just Go With It
Good news if your dad is a fan of the Sandman: long before the days of Murder Mystery, Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston starred in this breezy rom-com. Sandler is a jaded doctor who enlists his office manager (Aniston) and her children to portray his ex and family as he tries to impress a woman.
Everett Collection / Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Stuart Little
This proto-Paddington gem of a family classic stars Hugh Laurie and Geena Davis as parents who adopt an anthropomorphic mouse named Stuart (Michael J. Fox) into their family. While Stuart initially has to overcome hostility from his adoptive brother and the cat, the family soon comes to love him.