Can a brush with death actually help a man rediscover his own life?
In short: When a busy executive rushes home to care for his aging father, he expects a temporary inconvenience. Instead, he finds himself caught in a complex web of family resentment, medical crisis, and a sudden, surreal transformation that forces him to re-evaluate his own role as a father and son.
Released in 1989 and directed by Gary David Goldberg, Dad adapts William Wharton’s 1981 novel into a poignant exploration of generational friction. The story centers on John Tremont, an executive who returns to Los Angeles after his mother, Bette, suffers a heart attack. His mission is simple: look after his father, Jake, a retired aerospace worker who has become entirely dependent on his wife. As John integrates Jake into his own life, he begins to confront the reality that he has been neglecting his own son, Billy.
The narrative takes a sharp turn when Jake is diagnosed with cancer. Despite John’s desperate plea to keep the diagnosis hidden, an arrogant physician named Santana insists on full disclosure. The news shatters Jake, leading to a coma. However, his eventual recovery is marked by a bizarre, vibrant rebirth. Jake begins dressing eccentrically, learning new languages, and engaging with neighbors, all while suffering from delusions about a different life on a distant farm. A psychiatrist eventually posits that Jake’s mind retreated into a fantasy world because he could no longer find genuine joy in his reality.
The film, which features a widely acclaimed performance by Jack Lemmon, serves as a dense examination of infirmity, senility, and the difficult process of reconciliation. While critics have noted its tendency toward melodrama, the performances—including a turn by Lemmon’s own son, Chris, as the younger version of his character—anchor the emotional stakes. Though it lost the 1990 Academy Award for Best Makeup to Driving Miss Daisy, the film remains a significant look at the heavy, often messy work of healing family bonds before time runs out.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Dad (1989 film)
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