Daddy Cool

First time I watched this movie was on Laser Disc about 5 years ago. I liked it so much I taped it from HBO a couple of years later. The plot is a wee bit cliche, but there are many unexpectedly entertaining scenes, like when Gerard Depardieu (Andre) sang 'Thank Heavens for Little Girls', inoblivious to the fact that the audience thought he was a paedophile, and all those fights between Katherine Heigl (Nicole) and James Dalton (Ben) were just so... amusing, especially with Dalton being impossibly cute and all. Anyway, now I've finally bought the DVD and I'm re-watching it regularly.

All "Andre" (Gerard Depardieu) wants is to spend some quality time with his 14-year-old daughter "Nicole" (Katherine Heigl). So, he takes her to Jamaica for a nice vacation. However, when she gets there, she happens to fall in love with a young man named "Ben" (Dalton James) and, in order to impress him, says that she is actually 18--and that Andre is her lover who rescued her from a life of crime and drugs. One thing leads to another and soon the entire resort is under the impression that Andre is a child molester and treat his friendly gestures with complete disdain. Meanwhile, Nicole discovers that, in order to continue the ruse, she has to continue stretching the truth even more out-of-balance than ever before. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that, in spite of the risqué subject matter, this turned out to be a nice little comedy overall. I especially liked the scene where Andre is asked to play the piano and he chooses a song that infuriates the crowd. In any case, I enjoyed this movie and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

My Father The Hero used to be my favorite movie when I was Younger. It's about Andre, a divorced french man who wants to take his beautiful daughter (katharine heigl} on a vacation, hoping to get a little closer to her. But of course, Nicole isn't that easy to get along with, she just started puberty, i'm guessing. She is angry and hurt that her father was never there for her and decides to give him a hard time. One day at the beach, Nicole meets handsome Ben, and she makes up a wild story about her and her dad. The whole island gets involved and the movie turns into a hilarious wild entertaining movie. I would give My Father The Hero 8/10

My Father the Hero (1994)

*** (out of 4)

The recently divorced Andre (Gerard Depardieu) takes his teenage daughter Nicole (Katherine Heigl) on vacation to the Bahamas where she quickly gets a crush on a young boy and decides to try and impress him by saying her father is actually her older lover.

I still remember seeing MY FATHER THE HERO in theaters the day it opened and it really made me laugh. In fact, there were moments where I laughed extremely loud as did many others in the theater. I was shocked to see all the negative reviews that the film got but it clearly rubbed some critics and people the wrong way and especially with its subject matter.

Reading over my plot description now, it's easy to see why some might find it offensive but it's actually done in a rather clean way so one shouldn't be expecting some sort of dirty comedy. In fact, the film's actually a very funny ilttle gem about a teenage girl not knowing the trouble that her lies are starting.

What really makes this film work so well is the performance by Depardieu. The French legend is downright hilarious here and especially the way he breaks loose when he finds out what his daughter and said and what she has gotten started. I'd also say that Heigl was also very good here, years before she would become a star.

Most everyone seemed to find this film charming.

Am I the only one who found the premise of this film rather disturbing? A teenage girl trying to pass her father off as her boyfriend... After seeing the trailer and the first five minutes on television, I immediately sought ways to repress the memory of this film.

Maybe I should have given it more of a chance. Maybe next time around.