Fatherhood - The Modern Father

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Oh wow! That's how to explain this film starring Kevin Hart and what an absolute block buster of a film it is if you haven't seen it yet you need too. Not just because it's a wonderful film but because it digs right at the core of modern fatherhood and many of the challenges dads of today face.

The world has rapidly changed from the prior generation where dads purely went to work to earn money and you'd barely see them. We all missed out on those early years with our dads. I really believe this has impacted our generation and has led to us men wanting to be the fathers we needed and wanted.

This film narrows into that at its core as Kevin who's raising his daughter alone is stuck facing many challenges which include many not believing he is up to the challenge because well, let's face it his a man.

His mother inlaw doubts his abilities to raise a child and offers to take the child back with her, to which the offer is declined. Issues arise at work where even his boss who sees him as a great worker does not think he will be able to maintain his job as well as raise a child. At one point he nearly is sacked.

But he continues while faced with many doubters, the activities are quite often many that we would probably see dads do with their kids. His bro nights still revolve around poker nights with the boys but gambling is done with cookies instead of cash.

The modern day jokes inserted into the comedic tragedy is centred around changing cultural norms such as sending his daughter to a religious school that is still cemented in traditional beliefs of women must wear skirts which he wants his daughter in pants. This takes a turn for the worse where the nuns force his daughter to change at school which leads to a head injury.

Same sex issues arise where they are shrugged off with the "So it's 2021" a common belief held amongst many people in today's age. It is not a topic many care about and has nothing to do with anyone's business yet these traditions and beliefs are firmly held by the older generation.

At one stage he feels he has failed his daughter and hands her to the grandparents because he thinks its what would be best for her and her life only to quickly learn that the best place for his daughter is with him and she too agrees.

The film manages to capture the shifting cultural Norms that I know I experience as a father in 2021 raising both a daughter and a son. Where I want to see my daughter lead not be held back by past generational chains of gender roles and responsibilities.

It plays out wonderfully.

I have only one criticism of the film, in order for the film to work it requires killing off the mother in child birth to set the scene. The same outcome would have been achieved had they just provided the mother with a full time job or a career of her own. But we are still in the early stages of generational change and had they done that the mother would have been potrayed as the villain for not looking after her child and relinquishing her care as a mother.

A great generational film and I highly recommend watching it.