Fathers' Day (1997 film)

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Fathers' Day is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman. It stars Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Nastassja Kinski. The movie is a remake of the French film Les Compères.

Plot
Collette Andrews tells two of her exes, lawyer Jack Lawrence and writer Dale Putley, that one of them is the father of her runaway son Scott and asks them to find him. Each man thinks he’s the father of a different missing boy, so they team up after meeting and realizing the truth. Their search leads them to Sacramento and Reno, where Scott—who is with his girlfriend Nikki and the rock band Sugar Ray—is in trouble. The three men bond as they try to help him. In the end, Collette reveals she doesn’t know which man is the father, and Scott lies to both that they are his dads, which makes Jack see the idea of fatherhood in a new light.

Cast and other details
The film features Williams, Crystal, Louis-Dreyfus, and Kinski, with appearances by Sugar Ray and the Muffs. It was also promoted with an appearance on the TV show Friends.

Reception and box office
Fathers' Day opened on May 9, 1997, finishing second to The Fifth Element. It earned about $8.8 million in its first weekend and about $28.6 million domestically, with a worldwide total of around $35.7 million. The budget was $85 million, so it was considered a box-office disappointment. Critics were mixed to negative: Rotten Tomatoes around 26% positive, Metacritic at 43, and audiences giving it a B grade. Roger Ebert gave it a one-star review, calling it bland and formulaic, while a few critics offered mild praise for the comic pairing of Williams and Crystal.