Heroic fathers in the movies

MANILA, Philippines - June is the month when we celebrate Father’s Day. Fathers may seem to be too stiff to show their feelings, but, undeniably, they do long for love and attention. Here is a list of movies about heroic fathers:

Patriot. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson), a father of five, is contented with his life as a simple farmer and would never dare return in the battle field which he considers a nightmare. When his two sons are killed by the on-going war, Benjamin didn’t have anything in mind but revenge and freedom from the ruthless enemies. Benjamin’s rage is a nightmare as well.   

My Father, the Hero. A father will do everything to protect his daughter, especially when she’s a teenager. Andre (Gerard Depardieu) is divorced and raising his teenage daughter. While in their Bahamas trip, Andre’s daughter started to get the boys’ attention which made Andre more protective. With all these sacrifices, will Andre be a hero in his daughter’s eyes?

Mrs. Doubtfire. She is not your ordinary nanny because she is actually a he. Mrs. Doubtfire is actually Mr. Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams), a happy-go-lucky father of three having a problem with his wife. Who drove him out the house, The court only gave Daniel limited time with the kids. To spend more time with them, he disguised as Mrs. Doubtfire, the nanny. Well, he is a talented dad after all.   

Die Hard. John McClane (Bruce Willis), a father of two, is a New York policeman who has his way with terrorists. He is the worst enemy terrorists can ever have. He undoubtedly became a hero after saving the hostages in Nakatomi building, freeing Dulles Airport from terrorists. He hunted down a tricky terrorist in New York and saved the world from a computer genius terrorist. All these McClane, the courageous, protective father, did.

Armageddon. Harry Stamper (Willis) and his team were assigned to save the earth from complete destruction. It came to a point when Harry decided to sacrifice his life for the team and for mankind. It hurts him because this means he would have to leave his only daughter Grace (Liv Tyler). But for the sake of saving the world, he needed to accomplish his mission. 

The Pursuit of Happyness. Chris Gardner (Will Smith) failed when he invested in what he believes would be a successful business. He loses his wife, money, house and almost everything but his son. He tires to make a fresh start together with the boy. Of all the hardships, the most important thing is that they have each other — father and son.    

John Q. A father will desperately do everything to save his child, even to the point of committing a crime. John Quincy Archibald (Denzel Washington) takes a hospital’s emergency room hostage when doctors refused to operate on his dying child because of an insurance problem. Will John’s desperate move succeed?

True Lies. What will you do if you surprisingly learn to your surprise that your dad is a high-ranking undercover agent? Well, this is the secret Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) doesn’t want his family to know. The story gets complicated when his wife accidentally gets involved in his work. Now, he needs to do his mission and protect his wife at the same time. Of course, Harry needs to tell his wife the truth about being an undercover agent.   

I am Sam. Sam (Sean Penn) has a disorder that makes him incapable of being a father to his daughter. In spite of this, he still tries his best to be one. It came to a point when he needed to fight for the custody of his daughter. Will Sam’s love for his child be enough?

My Life. What will soon-to-be father do when he learns he will never be able to see his unborn child? Everything is perfect for Bob Jones (Michael Keaton) until he finds out that he is terminally-ill and has only few months to live. With a newborn baby on the way, Bob starts to record his own video for the baby to watch. At least, in this way, Bob can still be part of his child’s life even if he is gone.