Dads is a joyful exploration of contemporary fatherhood and a call to action for dads everywhere to take paternity leave. The film draws on the testimonies of famous funnymen such as Judd Apatow, Will Smith, Jimmy Fallon, Neil Patrick Harris, Kenan Thompson, Jimmy Kimmel, and Ken Jeong. Their reflections are combined with portraits of non-celebrity dads from different parts of the world – Brazil, Japan, the United States – who are creating new models of patriarchy. It’s funny, heartwarming, and also revealing. (Apparently even professional comedians resort to dad jokes.) Among these voices, filmmaker Bryce Dallas Howard interweaves that of her own father, Ron Howard, who started his acting career as Opie, son of classic television father Andy Griffith. Interviewed by his daughter, Ron speaks movingly of his goal to meet the standard set by his real-life father, Rance. If the old-fashioned father was stern and stoic, the contemporary one is more vulnerable and self-deprecating. Conan …
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