Dead Dad Movies

You may wonder what a “Dead Dad” movie is. It is a movie where the father dies or is dead, then somehow is magically brought back to life to share more time with their offspring. (And we are talking “quality” movies here. Not Dad coming back as a ghost or as a Golden Retriever.) I didn’t realize this theme at first. I was just drawn to these movies and wasn’t sure why. After I realized they had a common theme, I could realize I was probably subconsciously drawn to them because my Dad died before I was born. There are four main dead dad movies I regularly watch. Feel free to leave a comment & let me know of some others.

Field of Dreams — Son almost runs out of money & loses his house building a baseball field, only to realize it is so that he could play catch with his dead father again. Stars Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Amy Madagan.

Late for Dinner — Father & his brother-in-law are accidentally cryogenically frozen & then thawed out in the future. Late for Dinner came out at the same time as Mel Gibson’s Forever Young. But Late for Dinner is a much better movie. The father is reunited with his grown daughter. Stars Brian Wimmer, Peter Berg, Marcia Gay Harden.
One Magic Christmas — Father is shot in a bank hold-up on Christmas Eve. His daughter must travel to the North Pole, where dead people work in Santa’s Workshop (is that Heaven or Hell?!!), to ask Santa to make her “Dad not dead anymore.” I feel so bad for Mary Steenburgen’s character in this movie. At one point her husband & kids are dead, leaving her all alone, just because she doesn’t believe in Santa Claus. Believe…or else.

Frequency — Father from the past who is dead in the present talks to his grown son through a magical CB radio with the help of solar flares. Father finds a way to survive into the future to be reunited with his troubled son. I would like this movie better if someone else besides Jim Caviezel was cast as the son. I find him very creepy. Plot heavy. Also stars Dennis Quaid.

So, if you have a Dad who is still alive, celebrate him not just on Father’s Day, but every day. And if you don’t, watch one of these movies to make your “Dad not dead anymore”.

For more on Dead Dad movies, please visit:

Dead Dad Movie (Non-Feature Film Edition) https://imnotstalkingyou.com/2012/08/09/dead-dad-movie-non-feature-film-edition/