Dads Review

By: Amanda Guarragi 

Dads had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 and it is Bryce Dallas Howard’s directorial debut. The documentary covers a wide range of diverse families, across the globe, that show the true meaning, of what it takes to be a father. Howard opens the film with home footage of her being born and then has her father, Ron Howard, shared his views of fatherhood. It integrated celebrity fathers and true stories, from every perspective imaginable, some stories were fun and light, others were heartbreaking to sit through. At the end of the day, parenting does not come with a manual and Dads shows that in a very candid way.

It was such a lovely film because it has fathers at the forefront. We all know women can do it all and a mothers love is extremely important. When a father is present and involved in the child’s life, it is wonderful to see that dynamic of a father with his children. I am extremely close to my dad and I often find that films or tv shows, rarely have a positive father/daughter dynamic. There is always some conflict or the father is not in the picture at all. So films that have a positive and loving relationship representing that fatherly bond is a step in the right direction.

It is important to show, how fatherhood has changed and how men, in general, change their perspective of what it means to be a man. Celebrity dads such as, Ron Howard, Patton Oswalt, Will Smith, Neil Patrick Harris, Hasan Minaj, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Ken Jeong, Kenan Thompson and Judd Apatow all had very insightful moments throughout the documentary. Howard had this steady flow when having the open discussions about fatherhood with each of them. It was candid because all of the anecdotes shared were realistic and grounded. You could feel Howard’s connection, to the men in her life and it was lovely.

Howard brought together different family units, that included diverse cultural representation, sexual orientation and economical backgrounds, in order to have viewers appreciate and understand what it means to be a father. The stories were truly special and to watch these fathers pull through, under their own health issues or financial issues was really moving. It had a very nice structure and it allowed the stories of Rance Howard, Reed Howard, Glen Henry, Robert Selby, Thiago Queiroz, Shuichi Sakuma, Rob Scheer and Reece Scheer to be the emotional centers of the documentary. The celebrity stories were used as the comedic relief, while these true stories shed light on so many different issues.

Dads is a documentary that shows the journey of the modern dad. There are plenty of heartfelt moments in this film and there is a perfect balance of humour, that counters the serious subject matter. Whether your child was adopted, or has gone through multiple surgeries, or has kept you up at night, causing you to be delusional, they have shaped you into the man you are today. Fathers are important and this documentary shows all the good dads, who have been there for their children. It is a really special film and a wonderful debut for Bryce Dallas Howard.