Michael_Elliott
My Father the Hero (1994) *** (out of 4)The recently divorced Andre (Gerard Depardieu) takes his teenage daughter Nicole (Katherine Heigl) on vacation to the Bahamas where she quickly gets a crush on a young boy and decides to try and impress him by saying her father is actually her older lover.I still remember seeing MY FATHER THE HERO in theaters the day it opened and it really made me laugh. In fact, there were moments where I laughed extremely loud as did many others in the theater. I was shocked to see all the negative reviews that the film got but it clearly rubbed some critics and people the wrong way and especially with its subject matter.Reading over my plot description now, it's easy to see why some might find it offensive but it's actually done in a rather clean way so one shouldn't be expecting some sort of dirty comedy. In fact, the film's actually a very funny ilttle gem about a teenage girl not knowing the trouble that her lies are starting.What really makes this film work so well is the performance by Depardieu. The French legend is downright hilarious here and especially the way he breaks loose when he finds out what his daughter and said and what she has gotten started. I'd also say that Heigl was also very good here, years before she would become a star.
Uriah43
All "Andre" (Gerard Depardieu) wants is to spend some quality time with his 14 year-old daughter "Nicole" (Katherine Heigl). So he takes her to Jamaica for a nice vacation. However, when she gets there she happens to fall in love with a young man named "Ben" (Dalton James) and in order to impress him says that she is actually 18 and that Andre is her lover who rescued her from a life of crime and drugs. One thing leads to another and soon the entire resort is under the impression that Andre is a child molester and treat his friendly gestures with complete disdain. Meanwhile, Nicole discovers that in order to continue the ruse she has to continue stretching the truth even more out-of-balance than ever before. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, in spite of the risqué subject matter, this turned out to be a nice little comedy. I especially liked the scene where Andre is asked to play the piano and he chooses a song that infuriates the crowd. In any case, I enjoyed this movie and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.
slightlymad22
Gerard Depardieu stars as Andre, a divorced Dad taking his 14 year old daughter (Katherine Heigl) on holiday. She is mad at him over a previous issue, and acts like a spoilt brat for the entire movie. Almost as soon as they land, she takes a shine to Ben (Dalton James a good looking 20 odd year old playing a teenager) and starts off lying to impress him, it starts with her age, then she reveals Andre is not her father, but her lover.Here is where the movie falls apart a bit, as t fails to take advantage of all the hilarious situations that could come from this situation, and pretty much plays it safe.As for the cast, Depardieu is the star of the show, and he gets the main laughs. Heigl is cute enough and she looks good in a thong bikini, but her acting is not up to scratch, which is more evident when she needs to cry. James reminds me of a young Tom Cruise, and should of had a bigger career.It's not an Oscar worthy picture, but there's a certain type of sweetness at the core of this movie. I liked it.
jimakros
This movie is a funny comedy about a father and daughter vacationing at some tropical island,where the daughter falls for some boy and trying to pass for what she thinks is "cool",she makes up a preposterous story about her father. I read some of the negative comments,i think those people didn't get the main point of this movie,that exactly because the lie is so preposterous,all the situations are so funny. Besides the funny situations ,the movie has a few nice points to make,that young people often lie to appear "cool" but the only cool thing of course is to be who you are.Then,also it makes a nice point even though its exaggerated of course,what hardships good parents have to go through for their children's happiness.Also,that parents ,sometimes can also learn from their kids about their own life. Depardieu is great in this,and Heigl is also good.i don't agree that there is a huge difference between this version and the French one. In the French one,Depardieu has naturally some more facility with the language but he does a good job in English,also the American version has better production values than the french one and has some extra jokes about what Americans think about the French stereotype,which are funny and don't exist in the French version.
AD
