Seven Binge-worthy movies to watch on Father’s Day

Jun 19, 2022 News

By Kiana Wilburg

When it comes to music, food, and movies, my father and I are inseparable twins. But for movies, it is always a competition between us.

On the weekends, especially the Saturdays and Sunday evenings, I am able to peel myself away from work, we strive to out-do each other on finding films that feature the most thought provoking life lessons, witty scripts, and the most enamoring actors. There is also a bonus point (which manifests in the form of money or sweets like Häagen-Dazs) for the person who finds a movie that deepens our understanding of human temperaments. The deeper it goes psychologically, the closer you are to being a grandmaster in our inner circle.

As you can probably tell, we are not ordinary movie buffs. We even delve into deep discussions at times about the themes and character developments we appreciate most about a movie and reasons for same. This is without question, one of our customary Father-Daughter traditions that I enjoy and cherish.

In observance of this day that highlights the paternal bonds we share with our favourite earthly superheroes, and particularly for movie lovers like my dad and I, I invite you to revel in some of the most binge-worthy films listed below.

Breakout the Father’s Day popcorn and a glass of your favourite beverage and enjoy!

1) Premonition: In this 2007 film, Linda Hanson played by American actress Sandra Bullock has an idyllic life, until one day she receives word that her husband (Julian McMahon) has died in a car accident. However, when Linda wakes up the next morning and finds Jim beside her, she assumes she just had an unusually vivid dream. Soon, she finds out that what she experienced was not a dream, but something much more frightening. She is forced to battle time and destiny in this epic physiological thriller.

2) My Fair Lady: In this beloved 1964 musical, a pompous phonetics professor Henry Higgins (played by Rex Harrison) is so sure of his teaching abilities that he takes it upon himself to transform a working-class girl with poor language into someone who can pass for a cultured member of high society. His subject turns out to be the lovely Eliza Doolittle (played by Audrey Hepburn), who agrees to speech lessons to improve her job prospects. Eliza, much to his surprise, quickly develops into a refined woman with a superior tongue and flare who now tugs at his heart string. From there on, Higgins is taught a valuable lesson on being egotistical as he faces fierce competition from an aristocrat vying for Eliza’s hand.

3) Imitation of Life: This timeless movie tells the tale of two mothers and the troubles they face dealing with their rebellious daughters. Lora Meredith (played by Lana Turner), is a white single mother who dreams of being on Broadway, and has a chance encounter with Annie Johnson (Juanita Moore), a black widow. Annie becomes the caretaker of Lora’s daughter, Suzie (Sandra Dee), while Lora pursues her stage career. Both women deal with the difficulties of motherhood: Lora’s thirst for fame threatens her relationship with Suzie, while Annie’s light-skinned daughter, Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner), struggles with her African-American identity. The lessons of this movie are gripping and still relevant though made since 1959.

4) Spotlight: Set in 2001, editor Marty Baron of The Boston Globe assigns a team of journalists to investigate allegations against John Geoghan, an unfrocked priest accused of molesting more than 80 boys. Led by editor Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton), reporters Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Matt Carroll and Sacha Pfeiffer interview victims and try to unseal sensitive documents. In this film, the reporters make it their mission to provide proof of a cover-up of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church.

5) Good Will Hunting: Will Hunting (Matt Damon) has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he solves a difficult graduate-level math problem, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard), who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he will get treatment from therapist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams). It is essentially a touching tale of a wayward young man who struggles to find his identity, living in a world where he can solve any problem, except the one brewing deep within himself, until one day he meets his soul mate who opens his mind and his heart.

6) To Kill A Mockingbird: To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American drama film directed by Robert Mulligan. The screenplay by Horton Foote is based on Harper Lee’s 1960 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of the same name. Scout Finch (Mary Badham), 6, and her older brother, Jem (Phillip Alford), live in sleepy Maycomb, Ala., spending much of their time with their friend Dill (John Megna) and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbour, Boo Radley (Robert Duvall). When Atticus (Gregory Peck), their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.

7) The Devil’s Advocate: Based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Andrew Neiderman, The Devil’s Advocate explores how ambition and the blind pursuit of power can be one’s undoing, especially when the literal prince of darkness is the one doing the tempting. It is one of my favourite movies as it shows that even when our decisions lead to frightening pathways; there is always a way for us to turn back and do what’s right. It also features one of the wittiest scripts to date.