Dad is an 1989
comedy-drama based on
William Wharton's novel of the same
name. The movie stars
Jack Lemmon,
Ted Danson,
Olympia Dukakis,
Kevin Spacey and
Ethan
Hawke, and was written and directed by
Gary David Goldberg. It was produced by
Amblin Entertainment and
distributed by
Universal
Pictures.
Plot
John Tremont is a busy executive. He learns during a meeting that
his mother has collapsed and been rushed to the hospital.
Flying
immediately to Los
Angeles
, he ends up becoming his father Jake's caretaker
while Bette Tremont recovers from her stroke. A retired
aerospace industry worker, Jake has become somewhat feeble and
totally reliant on his wife, so John attempts to get him more
involved in day-to-day things like taking care of the house.
Father and son bond. John invites his dad to a business meeting and
takes him out for a Bingo game. They play catch with a baseball in
the yard.
Late one night, college-aged grandson Billy turns up as well. John
begins to appreciate while spending quality time with his dad that
he has been neglecting his own boy.
Bette returns home from the hospital. She is a strong, willful
woman with little personal warmth. Jake is very happy to have
everyone around him again during family dinners with the kids,
including daughter Annie and son-in-law Mario, but the glum Bette
resents the intrusion.
One day, Jake Tremont finds blood in his urine and is taken to a
doctor. John has a single request at the hospital -- to avoid the
word "cancer," which terrifies his dad.
An arrogant doctor named Santana who feels he knows what's best
decides that a patient has a right to know. Jake immediately loses
his bearings and ends up in a coma.
A fiercely protective John stays by his dad's side constantly and a
more sympathetic doctor named Chad volunteers his help. Jake
unexpectedly wakes up one day and seems perfectly fine.
Upon coming home, Jake acts reborn and reinvigorated. He confuses
his wife by dressing in an odd manner, studying new languages,
visiting the neighbors and even wanting sex at night. John feels
his dad is just trying to enjoy life, something his bitter mother
seems incapable of doing.
Something more is definitely wrong with Jake, however. He is having
delusions about being the head of a different family, a far-away
farm. A psychiatrist concludes that Jake sought joy in a fantasy
world while being unable to experience a sufficient amount in his
own.
Jake has a relapse. In the hospital, he reminisces with his son
about things that made him happiest, like work and baseball, before
passing away. John, a better man for the experience, returns to his
old life.
Cast
Reception
Jack Lemmon received much critical acclaim for his performance. He
was nominated for a
Golden Globe.
The film was nominated in 1990 for the
Academy Award for Makeup, which
went to
Driving Miss
Daisy.
External links