Duffy's the Daddy
Oliver Watson (Patrick Duffy - Working Miracles) was happy; he had a good job as an advertising executive, a good marriage, and three children. But out of the blue Sarah (Kate Mulgrew), his wife of 20 years, announces that she is off to do her Masters degree, except not locally as she has been accepted at a college over 200 miles away and is leaving. With his wife gone things start to go wrong, especially for his eldest son, Ben (Ben Affleck - State of Play), who is forced to drop out of college and get a job when his girlfriend becomes pregnant. But things eventually start to look up when Oliver becomes close to Charlotte Sam (Lynda Carter - Sky High)), a beautiful actress.
What I should mention straight away is that "Daddy" is sometimes known as "Danielle Steel's Daddy" and anyone with a slight knowledge of made for TV movies will know what that means. I don't mean the obvious which is that "Daddy" is adapted from a Danielle Steel novel but that it is another one of those melodramatic movies with romance combined with trials and tribulation all delivered in a soap-opera-ish manner. In truth that suits lead actor Patrick Duffy who has some staring at the camera big moments but it also means that "Daddy" ends up feeling cheesy long before the movie ends.
I will admit that what attracted me to "Daddy" was that it starred Patrick Duffy, I've been a fan of his ever since I was a child when I was hooked on "Dallas" but I watched this in full knowledge of what sort of movie this was going to be. And I suppose because I got what I expected, a corny melodramatic romantic drama, I should say that "Daddy" is a success as it delivers exactly what I expected and is what people watch this sort of movies for. Every single actor over delivers the big dramatic scenes especially when it comes to the arguments between father and son with Patrick Duffy and Ben Affleck challenging each other hamming it up. But at the same time watching Patrick Duffy and Lynda Carter together is surprisingly charming.
But in fairness dig beneath all the melodramatic acting and the actual storyline to "Daddy", whilst at times is a little far fetched, is not completely terrible. I say far fetched as it seems over the top that having been married for 20 years Sarah would suddenly decide to leave her family and head two hundred miles away to complete her master degree, it is too sudden and irrational. But then you have the sub plots which help to flesh "Daddy" out; there is Oliver's parents with his mother dying whilst suffering from dementia and then his son getting his girlfriend pregnant.
What this all boils down to is that "Daddy" is exactly what you expect from a movie based on a Danielle Steel novel. And whilst for some the melodramatic soap opera acting and story will be perfect for many it will be excruciating. In the end for this reviewer it wasn't terrible but more interesting because of an early role for Ben Affleck.
Tags: Danielle Steel Movies
