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‘Fatherhood’ Movie Review: A Testament to Fatherhood, Held Together with Heart & by Hart

Kevin Hart stars as a single dad mourning the passing of his wife in Fatherhood, a new film produced by Sony and premiering on Netflix

Ritika Kispotta - Fri, 18 Jun 2021 11:39:22 +0100 3831 Views
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Netflix's new dramatic comedy "Fatherhood," supported on Matt Logelin's memoir, follows Matt, acted by comedian Kevin Hart, a soon-to-be dad who isn't quite taking the approaching birth of his daughter seriously enough. Hart plays Matthew Logelin, whose wife Liz (Deborah Ayorinde) dies suddenly after parturition to their daughter, Maddy. He’s shocked and saddened by the loss, and that we see him struggling for words at her funeral. He's comforted by his pals Jordan (Lil Rel Howery) and Oscar (Anthony Carrigan), who provide comic relief and take a look at to lighten his emotional load. But Matthew doesn't have a whole lot of it slow to grieve, as he now encompasses a daughter to raise.


Director Paul Weitz ("About a Boy") builds a reputable world for Matthew and Maddy and makes viewers grieve his characters. Written by Weitz and Dana Stevens (based on the real-life Matthew Logelin's "Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love") focuses on the sensitive heft of parenthood, feelings of inadequacy, and also the constant struggle to do and do the proper thing, rather than clichéd situations or cheap laughs.


There is, of course, comedy and a plot amid all the implied messaging: Alongside some cringe-worthy jokes from Matt's immature-but-caring friends Jordan (Lil Rel Howery) and Oscar (Anthony Carrigan), an exhausted Matt spends the primary 40 minutes of the film managing grief, a colicky infant and also the constant intrusions of his smothering mother-in-law.


Then, within the half of the film, "Fatherhood" truly comes alive when Maddy (Melody Hurd, of "Them") is elementary-school age. She and Matt have their routine and unique bond — but, as many parents understand, once you’re thinking that you've got mastered child-rearing, something happens. During this case, Matt (unsurprisingly) gets a replacement love interest and Maddy suddenly becomes unhappy in school and misses her grandparents.


There's some keen honesty to this section, which shows the frenzy and shock and emotional dissonance of everything that happens in simply a matter of days. Matt can't process this grief, partly because he won't allow himself to try and do so and partly because there just isn't a chance to. At a memorial at the house that's now his and his daughter's, he walks among the mourners during a daze, only momentarily distracted by annoyance along with his best friends Jordan (Lil Rel Howery) and Oscar (Anthony Carrigan), who try and offer hollow support, and together with his mother-in-law Marian (Alfre Woodard), who can't stop talking about how such an irresponsible man can't possibly raise a toddler on his own.


The result’s a sweet and tender, charming and funny, and sad and surprisingly thoughtful tale about the many rewards and multiple, unexpected difficulties of parenthood—and especially being one parent. The primary act is devoted to many familiar scenarios and gags, like Matt being ill-prepared for mechanics of caring for a baby (some gross—but completely natural—stuff involving diapers and a few bickering about the way to attach a car seat), trying to juggle being a new father and having a career (Paul Reiser is amusing as Matt's absent-minded), and some arguments with Marian about moving from Boston back home to Minnesota, where she and Matt's mother (played by Thedra Porter) can help out.


“Fatherhood” isn’t bad, because it contains some genuine moments of comedy and emotion, but it often looks as if something written by a program, with a fresh conflict introduced or an absurd misunderstanding occurring every X number of scenes. There are many of us who welcome that familiarity, and there are more who will find plenty of relatable aspects in Matt’s parenting ordeals that produce laughs and introspection. This overly worn territory never comes off as a cynical gambit by the filmmakers — of course, it’s probable that everybody involved did so with great sincerity and also the desire to inform a moving story about real people experiencing real emotions — but it has few surprises to supply to those trying to find a fresh approach to the topic or maybe the genre as a whole. “Fatherhood” has the precise same ups and downs as every other film of its ilk, though the acting certainly elevates it over others within the field. Though some could also be turned off by this sort of storytelling, to others, this retreat into a generally pleasant world with its familiar conflicts and resolutions will provide them a respite and a smile.


Final Score – [8.5/10]
Reviewed by – Ritika Kispotta
Follow her @KispottaRitika on Twitter (https://twitter.com/KispottaRitika)

 

 

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