It's that time again! Time for that dreaded trip to the greeting
card aisle to pick out a masculine card for the dad you still haven't
forgiven for shaming you out of trying out for the pom squad or to find
a card that perfectly combines the humor and heart-felt sentiments for
the father who you mimic everyday while singing Wheels on the Bus with
your own wee ones. As if that's not enough pressure, Blockbuster,
struggling movie rentees and icons of scientific family relationship
research, has just released the results of a longitudinal, worldwide
survey (not really but they also say they don't charge late fees
anymore -- ha!) on
the best dads on- and off-screen.Predictably, the top pic for "Movie Dads You'd Most Like As Your Own" is Chris Gardner, profiled in Pursuit of Happyness and played by Will Smith. In second place is Father of the Bride's George Banks, played lovable and bumbly by Steve Martin. In third place is Gregory Peck's portrayal of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird,
which makes me think that some ambitious junior-year high school
English teacher offered up a boatload of extra credit points to
students who chose him in the survey.
Topping the "Movie Dads
Most Like Your Own" category are (again) George Banks, Robert DeNiro's
Jack Byrnes' lie detecting dad character in
Meet the Parents, and Chevy Chase's timelessly hilarious and embarrassing Clark Griswold, Eugene Levy's portrayal of "Jim's Dad" in
American Pie. I have to admit that, as much as I've laughed at these funny fathers and as much as one or more of them may (I said
may)
slightly resemble my own dad, I sure wouldn't admit it. Especially to
the assholes who constantly charged me for movies I totally returned on
time.
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