What Movies Feature The Best Friend Dad Trope?

This is another beloved character that we love to watch in films. He is typically a bit gruff and perhaps not part of the main family but in the end he is so lovable that he ends up being the greatest father figure to this other person outside of his own family. We can recall the classic ‘Big Daddy’ starring Adam Sandler as Sonny, an eccentric and quirky man who after a night out drinking wakes up the next morning to find a baby in his care. Despite it all he goes on to care for the baby until the real father turns up. This film packs a lot of laughs throughout but it is a beautifully warming movie at the end of the day too. The ‘fun uncle’ or ‘best friend dad’ is once again another great example of why the ‘unconventional dad’ is so popular with audiences today.

The biggest symbol of love and learning for how to be a parent is found in the movie “Mrs. Doubtfire”. In the movie Robin Williams plays the part of Daniel, a male spouse who wants to spend more time with his children after a divorce, so he dresses up as a female nanny named Mrs. Doubtfire. Most of the movie he is in ‘nanny’ mode, playing the part of a fun, loving, young, and loose ‘uncle’ to the children, but eventually the mask comes off and he exposes himself as their real dad. The movie not only shows him learning to be a father to his children but also a better husband to his wife.

Taking a different turn, ‘The Game Plan’ is an action-packed film where a football player (Dwayne Johnson) finds his life turned upside down when he discovers he has a daughter he never knew existed. Fumbling his way through parenting and accidentally finding humor in moments meant for tears, he attempts to learn how to be a good dad. Scenes of him awkwardly attempting to braid his daughter’s hair and sitting at a tea party with her were sweet.

Recent films are bringing another twist to this gruff but lovable father figure: even when he makes mistakes, simply showing up for his children is enough. This is particularly evident in the recent true story of Instant Family, in which Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne adopt three children including a hardened teenager. Watching the father figure struggle to connect with the teenager, often getting things wrong but realising she needs a friend as much as a parent, is a very real and powerful take on this.