7 Movies to Watch on Father’s Day Starring Real-Life Celebrity Dads and Their Kids
When thinking of movies to watch this Father’s Day, why not look to actors who have worked with their dads? Here’s a list of films from nearly every genre in which fathers acted alongside their children, and where to stream them.
‘Zoolander’
Before his father, Seinfeld actor Jerry Stiller, passed away in 2020, Ben Stiller was able to work alongside him. The two have worked together multiple times, in projects such as The Heartbreak Kid and Heavyweights.
But their most notable project together was the 2001 hit comedy, Zoolander. In it, Ben portrays the titular male model, Derek Zoolander, while Jerry played Maury Ballstein, his agent. The film is available to rent on Prime Video, YouTube, and other services.
‘Forsaken’
Actor Kiefer Sutherland‘s first role was a small one in the film Max Dugan Returns, starring his father, Donald Sutherland. As his career grew, he appeared in another movie with his dad, A Time to Kill.
However, they didn’t truly share the screen until 2016’s Western Forsaken. In the film, they portray father and son Samuel and John Henry Clayton, who come together to save their hometown after years of estrangement. The movie is available to rent on Prime Video, YouTube, and other services.
‘It Runs in the Family’
For two men who have been in Hollywood for a very long time, Kirk Douglas and his son, actor Michael Douglas, did not work together many times. Before Kirk’s 2020 death, they were in just two films together. The first was Michael’s uncredited cameo in his father’s 1966 action film Cast a Giant Shadow.
Their first true project together actually featured three generations of Douglas men. One of Kirk’s last films was the 2003 dramedy It Runs in the Family, where they play the Gromberg family. Kirk’s son, Cameron Douglas, also starred in the movie, which is available to rent on Prime Video and YouTube. It’s also available for free on the ad-based platform Vudu.
‘Deepwater Horizon’
This list doesn’t only include fathers and sons. Or, for that matter, dads and their biological children. Actor Kate Hudson was raised by two other actors: Her mom, Goldie Hawn, and her stepdad, Kurt Russell, who she considers to be her father.
Both Hudson and Russell were in the 2016 Oscar-nominated disaster film Deepwater Horizon. Though they didn’t share many scenes, Hudson said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show it was “beautifully wistful” to work together. The movie is available to rent on Prime Video and YouTube, or those with a Cinemax subscription can watch for free.
‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’
While Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s children are still quite young, some of them have made their way into their parents’ films. Their daughter, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, had a small role in her mother’s Disney epic Maleficent back in 2014.
But before that, Pitt worked with another one of his kids, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, with his now ex-wife. In the fantasy drama The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Pitt plays the titular character, while Shiloh plays the young version of his character’s daughter, Caroline. The film is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
‘The Pursuit of Happyness’
Finally, one of the most notable pairs of father-and-son playing these roles on screen is that of Will and Jaden Smith. Their debut film together was the biographical drama The Pursuit of Happyness. For the acclaimed flick, Will received his second Oscar nomination. The movie is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
