10 Best Movies Like Netflix’s Fatherhood

Kevin Hart has received some of the best reviews of his career for his performance in Netflix’s Fatherhood, a sobering but uplifting dramedy about a single parent forced to raise his baby daughter alone following the death of his wife. The film became an instant hit upon making its Netflix debut on June 18, 2021.

Fatherhood joins a long lineage of touching single-father movies that explore the trials and tribulations of becoming a parent, overcoming adversity, and learning how to be a stable role model for their closest loved ones.

10 Big Daddy (1999) – Stream On Amazon Prime Video

While more overtly comedic, Big Daddy is also a touching single-father story starring a famous funnyman. Adam Sandler stars as Sonny, an irresponsible law-school graduate who adopts a young boy named Julian (Cole Sprouse) as a lark to impress his romantic crush. Over time, he begins to truly care for the boy.

Like Kevin Hart in Fatherhood, Sandler showcases a softer, more sensitive side audiences hadn’t seen before from him in Big Daddy. The film fuses infantile humor with heartfelt pathos in a way that transcends comedy and becomes something more special.

9 Definitely, Maybe (2008) – Stream On Amazon Prime Video

Definitely, Maybe takes a charming, lighthearted approach to a serious subject – parental divorce. The story follows Will Hays, played by Ryan Reynolds, a political strategist who tries to carefully make his 11-year-old daughter Maya, played Abigail Breslin, understand his upcoming divorce.

To do so, Will playfully recounts his romantic history by changing the names of his lovers so that Maya has to guess which one from his past is actually her mother. The whimsical rom-com reinforces the challenges of single parenthood while underscoring the profound bond between father and daughter.

8 Eighth Grade (2018) – Stream On Hulu

Bo Burnham’s sharply observed coming-of-age dramedy Eighth Grade is a character study about the shy and awkward 13-year-old Kayla Day, played by Elsie Fisher, navigating the horrors of her final year of junior high. At the heart of the film is Elsie’s relationship with her single father, Josh Hamilton’s Mark.

The painful interactions between Mark and Elise highlight the crushing pressures of adolescence, the difficulties of living in a single-child, single-parent home, and the need to be seen and heard in a social media age.

7 Jersey Girl (2004) – Stream On Hulu

Kevin Smith’s semiautobiographical dramedy Jersey Girl stars Ben Affleck as Ollie Trinke, a New York publicist thrust into single-fatherhood when his wife passes away after childbirth. Unprepared for the demands of raising baby Gertrude, played by Raquel Castro, Ollie must balance his personal life and professional career.

With the help of his father – George Carlin’s “Pop” – and a video store clerk named Maya, played by Liv Tyler, Ollie begins to get a grip on raising Gertie and experiencing the benefits fatherhood provides.

6 Somewhere (2010) – Stream On Hulu

Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere stars Elle Fanning as Cleo, the 11-year-old daughter of washed-up movie star Johnny Marco, played by Stephen Dorff. When Cleo pays her father a surprise visit at his swanky Chateau Marmont hotel room, he slowly trades his debauched Hollywood lifestyle to be a dedicated caretaker.

The great thing about Somewhere is that in their short time together, Cleo teaches Johnny just as much about life as he imparts to her. Johnny becomes a better man thanks to his precocious daughter, and as a result, makes her a much bigger priority in his life than his fast lifestyle.

5 She’s Having A Baby (1988) – Stream On Amazon Prime Video

She’s Having a Baby is considered to be John Hughes’ most personal movie. Rather than focusing on a single father, the film explores the overwhelming challenges of impending parenthood for two young newlyweds.

When Kevin Bacon’s Jake and Elizabeth McGovern’s Kristy Briggs tie the knot, they immediately feel the surrounding pressures to have children. Unsure and unprepared to take on such a huge responsibility, the film explores in granular detail the stress, anxiety, and overbearing weight of becoming first-time parents. With equal parts comedy and drama, Fatherhood fans are sure to enjoy She’s Having a Baby.

4 The Pursuit Of Happyness (2006) – Stream On Amazon Prime Video

Will Smith gives one of his greatest performances as Chris Gardener in The Pursuit of Happyness, in which he plays a struggling entrepreneur who ends up living on the streets with his 5-year-old son Chris Jr., played by his real life son Jaden Smith.

Based on a true story, Chris invests all of his time and money in bone density technology that fails to take off. When his wife departs for New York and leaves Chris Jr. behind, Chris struggles to provide a home and better life for his son. However, the uplifting underdog story takes a turn when Chris becomes a successful stockbroker who forges a bright future for his Chris Jr.

3 Gifted (2017) – Stream On Disney+

Marc Webb’s Gifted is a heartfelt and underrated drama about a man who single-handedly raises his brilliant young niece, only to be thrown into a nasty custody battle with his own mother. The performances and the central relationship between Chris Evans’ Frank and McKenna Grace’s Mary are truly special.

Raising his niece Mary in Florida on his own, Frank’s life is upended when he learns she is a gifted math prodigy in school. When Frank’s estranged mother, Lindsay Duncan’s Evelyn, catches wind of her abilities, she makes a plea to gain custody of Mary and train for a rigorous scholastic life. However, Frank fights for what he knows is best for Mary while honoring his sister’s legacy in the process.

2 The Descendants (2011) – Stream On Amazon Prime Video

George Clooney plays clueless Matt King in The Descendants, a fatcat land baron in Hawaii who must take care of his two rambunctious teenage daughters after his wife is fatally injured in a boating accident. In addition to learning how to be an effective single father, Matt also deals with his wife’s infidelity and impending death.

The moving evolution Matt undergoes to get in touch with his daughters Alex (played by Shailene Woodley) and Scottie (played by Amara Miller) and become a more attentive and affectionate father is very much akin to what Matt experiences in Fatherhood.

1 Boyhood (2014) – Stream On Amazon Prime Video

Richard Linklater’s landmark drama Boyhood literally depicts a child’s growth from infancy to adolescence. At the heart of Ellar Coltrane’s Mason’s coming-of-age journey is his relationship to both of his divorced parents, Mason Sr. (played by Ethan Hawke) and Olivia (played by Patricia Arquette).

The stark realism of the movie is underscored by Mason’s profound bonds with his parents, who do their absolute best to raise him in a productive and happy environment. The flaws and universal observations of parenthood and childhood alike are handled with a deft touch by one of the most talented directors alive.