Meeting Daddy

I am simply disappointed that this is Lloyd Bridges' last film, he could have done something epic.I am simply disappointed that this is Lloyd Bridges' last film, he could have done something epic.I am simply disappointed that this is Lloyd Bridges' last film, he could have done something epic.I am simply disappointed that this is Lloyd Bridges' last film, he could have done something epic.I am simply disappointed that this is Lloyd Bridges' last film, he could have done something epic.I am simply disappointed that this is Lloyd Bridges' last film, he could have done something epic.I am simply disappointed that this is Lloyd Bridges' last film, he could have done something epic.I am simply disappointed that this is Lloyd Bridges' last film, he could have done something epic.I am simply disappointed that this is Lloyd Bridges' last film, he could have done something epic.

The plot couldn't be simpler. "My girlfriend's family turns out to be weird." Nothing wrong with that, except that there's nothing lovable about the weirdness (the closest to lovable is irascible, that's Lloyd Bridges) and the boyfriend and girlfriend are just cardboard figures themselves. Alexandra Wentworth is still beautiful, chipmunk cheeks and all, but she looks too mature for a college kid. We're supposed to identify with the male lead, but to see the scene through his eyes is to see a world that is neither attractive nor believable and the movie just doesn't reward the effort.

"Meeting Daddy" tells of a young California couple who visit the female half's somewhat backward clan in Georgia where they encounter a menagerie of quirky off-beat characters including her daddy (L. Bridges). If you are into fun little romantic comedy romps and have a sense of appreciation for the irreverent and inane, you'll probably enjoy "Meeting Daddy". If not, you may be terminally bored if not somewhat repulsed. This genre defying little sleeper is a concatenation of old gags laced with a wisp of charm whipped up in a very peculiar sort of mix which will please some and displease others. Lloyd Bridges turns in a fine final performance as the laconic, manipulative, and eerily senile patriarch. A must see for wacky comedy lovers.

Peter is an aspiring writer from New York who has moved to Los Angeles and works in a bookstore. His girlfriend Melanie is in law school. Melanie asks Peter to come with her to Georgia to help take care of her elderly diabetic father, who really needs to be in a home or at least have a full-time caretaker.

Larry and Dink are Melanie's brothers. Dink is a fat jerk who doesn't seem too intelligent. Larry seems to work in real estate and has filed for bankruptcy in the past. The responsibility of taking care of The Colonel seems to fall to Melanie, however. And The Colonel doesn't like being taken care of or told what to do, even though his mind isn't quite right and he wants to eat what isn't good for him. The family starts looking at options, and Peter ends up having to take care of Daddy while they are gone, with humorous results.

The Colonel is a Hard-Shell Baptist and conservative, which is frustrating for Peter and Melanie, who want to sleep together. Dink tells Peter, who is Jewish, that Jesus is the only way to salvation.

I liked this movie when it was funny. Sometimes the arguing between family members got to be a little much. And the real-estate gags got old fast.

Lloyd Bridges was quite convincing as a feeble but stubborn old man. Alexandra Wentworth effectively showed the take-charge personality of Melanie, but even she had her vulnerable moments, such as when she was deprived of sex. Edie McClurg was adorable and perky but not too confident as the woman hired to take care of Daddy. And Kristy Swanson was a delight as Melanie's best friend from high school, who came up with values for items in the house so they could be divided among the children. But mostly she wore too-short skirts and seemed to want Peter.

This was worth seeing, even if it seems kind of familiar.

One of the best little films I've seen in a long time. Don't let the box art on the video fool you, this is NO family film! It's a highly original combination of romantic comedy, gross-out humor with a little bit of heart. Josh Charles (from Sports Night) is an "angry young man" writer who goes to meet his girlfriend's family in Savannah, Ga. The girlfriend is played by Alexandra Wentworth who I've never seen before but she' s funny and sexy and believable, I'd sure go to Savannah for her! Lloyd Bridges is funny/threatening as Wentworth's father, apparently this was his last film (I thought he died after "Mafia" can someone clear this up).

His performance is truly outstanding in this movie. But, in addition to the performances, this director shows flashes of a really whacked-out imagination -- there's a scene with a talking severed toe, a vomiting scene that I can hardly describe and some dialogue that'll really take you by surprise.