Fathers' Day 1997

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: Williams and Crystal often supply, through their ad libs, what the writers may have left out. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Inoffensive, predictable, obvious, Fathers' Day is all the things a major studio comedy wants and needs to be. If you noticed that funny is not on the list, go to the head of the class. Read more

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel: There is something faintly depressing about seeing an inspired comedian like Robin Williams and a clever one like Billy Crystal starring in a movie that might just as well have been based on My Two Dads. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Hey, it sounded good on paper. Read more

Doug Thomas, Seattle Times: Fans of Crystal and Williams certainly will enjoy the pairing, but this is far from their most inspired work. Read more

Susan Stark, Detroit News: Read more

Janet Maslin, New York Times: There are some slow patches and formulaic touches, but that's a fair trade for the fun of watching Mr. Williams and Mr. Crystal make an irresistible comic team. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: A movie of implacable unfunniness. Read more

Keith Phipps, AV Club: Add to these problems the fact that Fathers' Day is a comedy starring two reputedly hilarious people who don't make you laugh once, and you have a movie that would be great if everything about it weren't terrible. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: Ivan Reitman directs Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel's adaptation like standard-issue sitcom, inviting Williams to pursue his usual overacting shtick. Read more

Carol Buckland, CNN.com: Father's Day has a few laugh-out-loud sequences, but it's nothing to celebrate. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: I had the disquieting sensation not of seeing two funny men but of watching two comedians from a distant age go through the motions of what they, all evidence to the contrary, still believe to be funny. Read more

Robert Dominguez, New York Daily News: Despite some laughs, there's not much of a story. But at least Williams and Crystal, old pals off the screen, seem to be enjoying themselves. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Fathers' Day simply has to be seen to be believed. It's beyond my comprehension how a motion picture with so much talent associated with it can be such a complete waste of time. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Father's Day is a brainless feature-length sitcom with too much sit and no com. Read more

Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle: Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, teaming for the first time on the big screen, are moderately fun but suffer from what looks like a case of too-calculated Hollywood packaging. Read more

Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Enjoy it, forget it, move on. Read more

Nick Bradshaw, Time Out: Writers Ganz and Mandell go pleasingly light on the syrup and sentimentality. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: Robin Williams and Billy Crystal can each provoke a lot more laughs in a minute of standup than they jointly manage during the entire running time of Fathers' Day. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: For the comic actors, this project -- an enjoyable synthesis of improvisation and adherence to the original story -- seems almost too easy. You wonder why it took them so long. Read more

Stephen Hunter, Washington Post: Fathers' Day offers sporadic laughs of the lowest kind -- the old outhouse-bites-man thing -- but some conspicuous idiocy as well. Read more