Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Like Father – Netflix Films
Breeze rating from 1 to 4 palm trees, 4 being best.
It seemed as though everything was falling into place in the life of New York advertising executive Rachel (Kirsten Bell) who was looking forward to her upcoming wedding and was up for a promotion. Looks can be deceiving though as Rachel was about to be left at the altar at her wedding where her dad showed up unannounced after being absent 25 years. Later they got together, got drunk, and ended up on the honeymoon cruise with each other.
When Rachel’s phone fell out of her wedding bouquet at the alter after promising not to even bring it to the wedding. Owen took Rachel aside and expressed his concern for her workaholic issues they’ve been trying to work through and apologized saying he couldn’t marry her. As the wedding guests sat uncomfortably witnessing the wedding being canceled, Rachel’s father stood up to leave and tripped over a chair as he exited the venue. This caught Rachel off guard, as she hadn’t seen or spoken to her father for over 25 years.
Rachel tried to return to work, but was sent home for her scheduled vacation after having an emotional outburst in the office. Later that evening, her father Harry (Kelsey Grammer) showed up at her apartment concerned for her and suggested they go to a bar, if even just for one drink and that they didn’t even need to talk if she didn’t want. They both ordered the same drink, Harry ordering 3 to catch up to where Rachel was at before arriving. After some uncomfortable moments and a few more drinks they ended up having a great time drinking the night away.
They staggered back to Rachel’s apartment after a countless number of shots, and were sitting outside when the car arrived that was scheduled to take Rachel and Owen to the cruise ship. They both had a laugh over it for it was for the honeymoon, but were both still so drunk from the night before that the next thing they knew they both woke up on the cruise ship that was already out to sea. Rachel regretted what had seemed like a great idea when they were drunk and tried to get separate rooms but no other rooms were available.
The cruise was set to dock in Jamaica, so they both decided that they would get off the cruise there and fly back to New York. Due to the fact that the ship caters packages to honeymooners, they kept dealing with the repeated awkward assumption that they were just married by the staff and the other couples staying in the honeymoon suites.
Rachel and Harry spent the cruise learning about each other and enjoying activities like honeymooner’s pool parties, and day hike adventures to beautiful waterfalls where they had some very enlightening moments. They also entered in the cruise’s Gigantic Gameshow where they had to match answers and won because Harry coordinated their answers before the game, no matter how they didn’t fit the question. After their win, Harry wanted Rachel to enter the karaoke contest with him, though she refused until Harry shared something that recently happened to him that would cause them to become even closer.
Putting a different spin on the traditonal rom-com, Like Father has a diverse cast of couples; a senior couple, gay couple, and black couple as the other honeymooners on the cruise. Bell and Grammer are a hilarious comedic combo, who are also able to express heartfelt genuine emotion when dealing with the challenges of their past family issues. Those who have distant family relationships may find yourself crying at the joy of this unique father-daughter reunion.
1h 43m
