Like Father (2018)

User Review

• 

  ScreenZealots

  3 / 10

  The apathetic Netflix original film “Like Father” doesn’t have much in the way of plot. This supposed familial bonding comedy between an adult daughter and her absent father boasts good performances from the two leads, but it stumbles from a lack of character development and general formulaic pointlessness.
  
  When workaholic ad executive Rachel (Kristen Bell) gets dumped at the altar, a drunken night spent with her estranged dad Harry (Kelsey Grammer) leads to a mishap that finds the two on a honeymoon cruise to the Caribbean. This odd couple pairing feels icky, especially as they take an awfully long time to clear up the idea that they are actually a newly married couple.
  
  The film is predictable and implausible, with pointless soul searching adventures orchestrated to rekindle the relationship between father and daughter. Instead of a heartfelt sincerity, the film is primarily made up of a string of pop music montages of all the fun activities onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Bingo! Karaoke! Unlimited fancy food! Wacky game shows! Drinking pina coladas by the pool! It’s a cheap ad for Royal Caribbean masquerading as a meaningful movie.
  
  There’s little character development and even less to like about any of these people, and the film is boring. “Like Father” is a huge misstep for co-writer and director Lauren Miller Rogen, who probably made this lazy vanity project so the cast and crew could get a free Caribbean vacation.
  
  A SCREEN ZEALOTS REVIEW / Louisa Moore

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