Fatherhood

 1.5/4

Starring: Kevin Hart, Melody Hurd, Alfre Woodard, DeWanda Wise, Lil Rel Howery, Anthony Carrigan, Frankie Faison, Paul Reiser

Rated PG-13 for Some Strong Language, and Suggestive Material

The difference between a good tearjerker and a bad one is whether or not the characters and their situations feel real.  Okay, fine.  That standard can serve as the litmus test for any movie.  But a tearjerker needs these qualities desperately.  Otherwise it can turn into a sappy melodrama that pulls your heartstrings so hard they turn into beef jerky.  And that's exactly what happens with "Fatherhood," a film with a decent premise and a surprisingly effective lead performance that is undone by a director who is practically pleading with the audience to tear up.  I frequently rolled my eyes instead.

Matt Logelin (Hart) is eager to become a father, although everyone, including his wife Liz (Ayorinde), believes him to be too immature for the job.  Nevertheless, the couple plans to raise their daughter together.  Tragedy strikes shortly after Maddy is born: Liz dies of a pulmonary embolism.  Now Matt is faced with raising a child on his own.  But even with the support system he has, can he do it?

Comedians occasionally get the itch to try their hand at drama, and it appears that Kevin Hart is no different.  The usually high energy Hart is in full drama mode here.  No screaming, no freak outs, no manic panic.  He keeps things low-key and has little trouble conveying the pains of losing his wife and the struggles of raising a kid.  It's not a great performance, but it shows that he can reach dramatic notes he hasn't gotten to show before.

Hart is front and center for every scene, and he's surrounded by a gifted supporting cast.  Alfre Woodard is good as the mother-in-law who is certain that Matt is not capable of raising a child on his own, and wants him to move near her and his own parents.  Young Melody Hurd is a natural actress in the key role as the daughter.  Her spunk and natural delivery are a buffer against the heavy-handed direction.

The first half is a chore to sit through.  The dour tone prevents any sort of humor (save for a few weak one-liners) from coming through, and the situations are cliches and rushed through so fast that they don't register emotionally.  Things pick up once Maddy grows up.  That's when the film's best character is introduced.  Her name is Swan (Wise), and she's Matt's love interest.  The actress lights up the film every time she appears because the actress has genuine screen presence and appeal.  Her warmth is genuine, and finally the film has a beating heart.

Emotional manipulation is tricky to pull off, and must be used effectively and, most importantly, sparingly.    There's no surer way to get an audience to resent the director's attempts to get them to feel for the characters when every scene seems to be present to get the audience to grab a tissue.  That's what happens here.  Director Paul Weitz's handling of this material, which is based on a true story, is clumsy, and it didn't take long before I grew annoyed with the film.  He tries far too hard to get the audience to feel for Matt and Maddy, and while he manages to land successful scene every now and then, such moments are fleeting.

Don't bother.

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