Netflix Original: Like Father

So Netflix has this whole thing now where they like to spend billions of dollars each year on creating original content. Good news: you now don’t have to get off your couch to watch the new movies they produce. Bad news: they make some pretty poor movies. Good news: Like Father is not one of them.

It is Rachel Hamilton’s (Kristen Bell) wedding day. Unfortunately, she is a crazy workaholic which leads to her getting left at the alter. Rachel’s dad, Harry (Kelsey Grammar), also decides that this is the day he is going to come back into his daughter’s life after being estranged for over two decades. These two overwhelming events, taking place right at the start of the movie, cause a hilariously drunken evening that leads to Rachel and Harry waking up on Rachel’s honeymoon cruise. What could go wrong?

Watching the trailer for Like Father, I expected 90% laughter and 10% heart/drama. Kristen Bell has been one of the funniest people on TV in recent years, starring in shows like House of Lies and The Good Place¹ and Kelsey Grammar is Frasier. Bell’s character is constantly agitated because of that whole “getting left at the alter” thing while Grammar tries to make the best of the situation, but struggles to get into his daughter’s good graces due to the estrangement. Thankfully, they work pretty well together stuck in the middle of the ocean. I definitely laughed during the movie, but it ended up being closer to 50% laughter and 50% drama. There are enough awkward moments that make you want to cringe, but the moments are brief and quickly saved by something positive.

Ultimately, Like Father could have been better than it was. There was a lot of potential in the set up of the story to turn the movie into a rip-roaring comedy, but Lauren Miller Rogen² ultimately went for a different vibe. While it wasn’t bad, it definitely could have been better. Despite that, there was a lot of good moments, including:

• Seth Rogen showing up as Rachel’s awkward on-cruise rebound who can’t stop talking about Canada.
• A drunken discussion on the correct way to eat pizza.³
• Karaoke
• Harry’s random obsession with his friend, Gabe.⁴
• More Seth Rogen awkwardness.

Verdict: Doesn’t Blow

I liked this movie. Not perfect, but definitely would watch again. You might watch the trailer and go, “Ehh, this looks kind of cheesy and might be too much of a chick flick type movie for me” While it is definitely closer to a chick flick than any other genre, there’s no love story here. There’s no two hour build leading to Kristen Bell meeting someone new on the cruise and falling in love. It’s Kelsey Grammar and Kristen Bell as father and daughter getting drunk on a cruise. What more could you ask for from Netflix?

Scenario to watch: Watch it on Netflix this week at some point. Pretty simple.

1. Absolute must watch by the way.
2. Writer and director. Also, Seth Rogen’s wife. How about that?
3. I’m definitely on the no fold team.
4. Kind of weird, but ends up making sense.