In honor of the upcoming Father's Day, MSNBC.com has put together a list of the Worst (and Best) Movie Parents of All Time. I'd have to agree with some of their choices - for instance Darth Vader comes in as Worst Dad #1. Beside his poor parenting skills I'd say his wardrobe would be enough for me to put him at the top of that list. Would you just die if your friends saw you at the mall with him dressed in that tired old cape and freaky helmet? And you thought you had it bad when your dad showed up to chaperone your Jr. Dance wearing plaid shorts and white tube socks.
But missing from their Worst list is King Triton from "The Little Mermaid." I remember cringing when Ariel, her Extreme Makeover complete, finally gets her father's blessing to marry the rich but dull Prince Eric. It was the equivalent of standing by and watching as your daughter got a boob job and tummy tuck in order to hook up with Donald Trump, Jr.
But Furious Styles from "Boyz In The Hood" would be in my #1 spot as Best Parent and not #2 as they have him. I'm a big Laurence Fishburne fan, and his memorable portrayal of the earnest father to Cuba Gooding Jr. was amazing. Plus, a large part of that movie was filmed on the very street I grew up on. And adding to further nostalgic attachment to his role, Furious' scenes at work were filmed at my late father's small income tax office he owned for many years.
Word.
[Fishburne photo: ew.com]
