bkoganbing Gary Goldberg's Dad only got Oscar recognition with a nomination for makeup. Surely deserved in the way Jack Lemmon was transformed into a henpecked old codger. But surely Lemmon and Ted Danson playing his son merited some Oscar consideration in 1989. So does Olympia Dukakis playing the mother.Dad is a wonderful study of the issues in being a senior citizen and now that I am one can appreciate more now than in 1989 when it first came out. From the first you see that it's Dukakis wearing the pants in the family as they go grocery shopping. But when Olympia has a heart attack in the supermarket, Lemmon is kind of left to his own devices.The children, Kathy Baker and Kevin Spacey, help to some degree. But it's there third brother who works for an investment firm who really pitches in. Ted Danson is a kind of Gordon Gekko of the West Coast, but as he pitches in and helps the two really connect and reestablish a relationship. I did love the scene where Lemmon just sits in on a board meeting comprehending more than Danson realizes about what he does for a living.Ever since Lemmon retired from Lockheed years it's Dukakis who has become the dominant one. No longer earning and kind of under foot he becomes just an appendage. She treats him like a child.Soon enough the roles are reversed. She comes home and he's diagnosed with cancer. The family then goes into crisis mode.Dad has a nice constructed story with very well developed characters with the exception of Kevin Spacey who is given little to do with his role. Ethan Hawke is also in the film as Danson's son who has always had a great relationship with his grandfather. Jack Lemmon was 66 when he made the film. But with makeup he looks more 86 and really makes you believe it in his performance. A whole lot like his buddy Walter Matthau when he starred in Kotch.Dad is a wonderful film for the family about a family named Tremont.

moonspinner55 Jack Lemmon, aged with makeup and a bald cap, plays the cantankerous title character, who needs looking after once his wife suffers a heart attack. Butter-colored family portrait, the kind in which impending death brings the principals closer together. Producer-director Gary David Goldberg also adapted his screenplay from the novel by William Wharton; he obviously had faith in this material, though it has been cast for awards season acknowledgment. There's not a convincing moment anywhere, and Lemmon is never so off-putting as when he is straining for a sentimental affect. The whole thing goes over the top near the finish, with Ted Danson running out of a hospital with frail Dad in his arms. When Hollywood goes the shameless route, look out: gullible viewers become roadkill. *1/2 from ****

norton27 First time I have watched this one and I was very moved. Never heard of this movie? Glad I stumbled across it. I love Jack Lemmon. Thought I had seen almost everything he has done? Ted Danson was terrific in this movie. I was really impressed with Ted's versatility, drama, comedy and real emotions. Great flick. Brought back many memories. Almost a mirror image of the last days I spent with my dad, especially the "hug" scene. In that generation we "quietly" showed our love for our parents and siblings. Really sad that folks wait so long to enjoy their families. I could really relate to this movie. They don't make em like Jack anymore. Really do miss him.

gcd70 "Dad" is a simple tear jerker which deals with a man's relationship with his dying father, and the way in which both of them deal with the situation. Gary David Goldberg's movie is very sentimental, and it plays on this a lot. Many times audiences will find themselves choking back tears as Jack Lemmon (in a delightful and moving performance) takes us several times to the point of heartbreak.For the most part, "Dad" holds its own even though it relies solely on an emotional audience. Unfortunately the film does overstay its welcome a little, as it could have ended nicely about fifteen minutes earlier. Worthwhile all the same.Monday, September 7, 1992 - Video