Father’s Day fiction a click, a flick away

Why not celebrate this Father’s Day by sharing the evening with dad

in front of the television and enjoying one of the great examples of

fatherhood on film?

As in life, there are good fathers and lousy fathers, but some of

the best fictional fathers remind us of that particular man who

brought us up, fed us and cared for us, and set for us an example of

how to become a fine adult.

In “October Sky,” which tells of rocket scientist Homer Hickham’s

boyhood in the mining hills of West Virginia, Chris Cooper plays the

weary, coalminer father who must struggle to understand the

aspirations of his brilliant son. The performance is an outstanding

tribute to men who want the best for their children but struggle to

believe that the nearly impossible could happen in their hardscrabble

world.

On the other side of the social spectrum, there is “The Winslow

Boy.” Set among the privileged classes of Great Britain near the turn

of the last century, the story tells of a boy accused of stealing a

piddling sum of money at school. When confronted with this stain on

the family honor, the father, Arthur Winslow, does not hesitate to

believe in his son’s innocence and nearly ruins the family fortune in

defending the honor of his son all the way to Parliament. The film

has been made twice in two excellent versions with Cedric Hardwicke

and Nigel Hawthorne as the exceptional father.

A little closer to home is Steve Martin’s portrayal of Gil Buckman

in Ron Howard’s “Parenthood.” Though the film depicts the funny,

poignant and near-tragic experiences of the extended Buckman family,

it is Martin, whose portrayal of a hilariously desperate father at a

child’s birthday party where the party clown has failed to show, who

steals the film. His desperate attempt to make up the missing

entertainment is one of the finest moments of Hollywood comedy.

Another comic movie, with maybe not exactly the best dad in the

world, is Peter Bogdanovich’s near-classic “Paper Moon.” Though Moses

“Mose” Pray is only taking the orphaned daughter of a recently

deceased lady friend to an aunt during the Great Depression, real

life father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O’Neal wowed audiences with

their charming portrait of two grifters trying to make it through

tough times.

Fathers don’t always have to be human. Albert Brooks’ voice as the

fish Marlin in “Finding Nemo” conveys the anxiety, fear and

exasperation suffered by an only parent -- even if his son is only a

clown fish. If you have not seen this award-winning animated film, it

is one not to be missed. It’s amazing how some drawn lines, color and

dialogue depicting the animal world can convey the universality of

fatherhood.

Sometimes it takes a long time to come close to one’s father.

Sometimes even into the other world. What man has not sobbed openly

at the end of “Field of Dreams,” when Kevin Costner asks the

apparition of his estranged father if he wants to play catch? And

sometimes it takes an epic journey to get back to dad, especially

when he is the absent-minded and crazily inventive Rick Moranis, who

shrinks you to the size of a cricket and you are lost in your

backyard in “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.”

And who has not watched “To Kill a Mockingbird” and been deeply

touched by Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch? Peck’s Finch is not just

Scout’s father; he is the noble, gentle, loving, wise father who we

all celebrate on June 20.

DID YOU KNOW?

There are free story-time hours at the library. The hours and age

groups differ at the different branches, but the storytelling times

range, depending on ages, from babies to toddlers to 7-year-olds.

Just call the Children’s Library at (949) 717-3800, Ext. 5.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Sara Barnicle. All titles may be

reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at

https://www.newportbeachlibrary.

org. For more information on the Central Library or any of the

branch locations, please contact the Newport Beach Public Library at

(949) 717-3800, option 2.