"Dad's Home" is a gentle family movie made for television. The writing is simple but decent, as are the main themes engaged here. The film has much in common with another film about an unemployed widower with two children, that being "We Bought a Zoo," starring Matt Damon. Here the family stays closer to home to discover their new lives with just a single dad to guide them. As with "We Bought a Zoo," a family working through grief is a main, albeit understated theme.
David James Elliott carries the film, exhibiting a natural warmth in the main role, and is always handsomely upbeat throughout. Even when destroying a bag of groceries, shrinking clothing in the dryer or burning dinner on the oven, dad's bewilderment at facing domestic chores never destroys the character's innate optimism, which is only occasionally daunted by the memory of his late wife. The actor's choices are always positive and upbeat, especially when informing his children they'll be making a new life in Cleveland. Here, differing from "We Bought a Zoo," the choice is to remain at home in California, to keep the family intact and hopeful. There is no doubt that Dad will be able to find another job close to home. And his romance with the schoolteacher will be allowed to blossom. Of course, with the big bucks that came with the pressures of his old job in the ad game, we tacitly know that dad has invested wisely and can afford to keep up his home and family without uprooting them. His choice in turning down the Cleveland job reinforces his love of his children, which he exhibited consistently throughout the film, loving the kids unconditionally even when they were at their worst. The decision winds up being the only choice this character could have made.
Were the title not already used for a former television family series, this TV movie could easily have been called, "Father Knows Best." I thoroughly enjoyed this film.
David James Elliott carries the film, exhibiting a natural warmth in the main role, and is always handsomely upbeat throughout. Even when destroying a bag of groceries, shrinking clothing in the dryer or burning dinner on the oven, dad's bewilderment at facing domestic chores never destroys the character's innate optimism, which is only occasionally daunted by the memory of his late wife. The actor's choices are always positive and upbeat, especially when informing his children they'll be making a new life in Cleveland. Here, differing from "We Bought a Zoo," the choice is to remain at home in California, to keep the family intact and hopeful. There is no doubt that Dad will be able to find another job close to home. And his romance with the schoolteacher will be allowed to blossom. Of course, with the big bucks that came with the pressures of his old job in the ad game, we tacitly know that dad has invested wisely and can afford to keep up his home and family without uprooting them. His choice in turning down the Cleveland job reinforces his love of his children, which he exhibited consistently throughout the film, loving the kids unconditionally even when they were at their worst. The decision winds up being the only choice this character could have made.
Were the title not already used for a former television family series, this TV movie could easily have been called, "Father Knows Best." I thoroughly enjoyed this film.