Thursday Movie Picks #33: All in the family edition: Father-Son relationship (biologically related)

Hello whoever you are! This week Thursday Movie Picks, which is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves is father-son relationship (biologically related).  A little warning: the films that I picked are quite mainstream. 

Life is Beautiful / La Vita e Bella (Roberto Benigni, 1997)

 

The winner of the 1999 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film tells us a story about an ordinary man who determines to bring happiness for his loved ones.  Guido (Roberto Benigni) is a Jewish man who's married to Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), an Italian woman.  They have a son together named Joshua (Giorgio Cantarini).  After Italy is occupied by Hitler, Joshua and Guido are sent to concentration camp.  

I usually don't like this kind of film. You know, the sappy, witty-wannabe, and inspirational-wannabe. But I love this film.  I think it's because despite the bitterness and desperation in concentration camp, Guido does anything he can to make Joshua happy.  It shows us that parents' duty is not only fulfill primary needs, but also provides their children joy and hope.

I understand that Life is Beautiful is not a realistic film, and perhaps quite silly. But personally, it brings happiness to me. 

Kramer vs Kramer (Robert Benton, 1979)

One can argue that Kramer vs Kramer doesn't deserve Academy Award for Best Picture, but Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep did a marvelous job in this drama film.  Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) leaves Ted (Dustin Hoffman) because her husband constant neglection.  This puts Ted on a rocky situation for he never takes care of Billy (Justin Henry), his son.  

I love the dynamic between Ted and Billy.  Although Billy is Ted's own flesh and blood, they never really interact.  Therefore, they kinda resent each other at first.  Ted is pissed off because he can't understand Billy while Billy is pissed because his father really sucks at taking care of him.  As time goes by, they learn to cope or tolerate with each other.  The messy separation and resentment become a deeper bond between father and son.  

Meet The Robinsons (Steve Anderson, 2007)

This is an odd Father-Son film.  Lewis, a genius kid, ruins his science project.  As disappointment pours him, he meets an odd boy, Wilbur.  Wilbur will bring Lewis to see his mother, if he fixes his science project...and the time machine.

Lewis never has a father figure. His orphanage is run by a lady and the viewers never see his father. Despite his lack of father figure, he's a father himself in the future. He can even befriend his (future) son.  

Other than showing how Lewis can befriend his (future) son, Meet The Robinsons shows us that all parents were kids and teenagers themselves.  But kids don't grow up in the same era with their parents. This is an important point because parents often compare their time with our (children) time. Parents can't compare their generation with their children's generation because so many things change. What worked for our parents or grandparents doesn't always work on us (today's generation).  However, it's not wrong to use the traditional way as long as we understand the situation.