The content of this post originally appeared in the “JNL” section of the Janesville Gazette daily newspaper in the mid-1990s.

“Father’s Day,” starring Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, can be described as disappointing, even with the amazing comic talents of these two men. The problems with it were obvious: Many parts of the movie just
didn’t connect with each other, and too many scenes had language more rough than this type of movie could handle. The movie was billed as a hilarious comedy, but it turned out to be a so-so movie with actors who saved it from rolling over and dying. Better dialogue might have saved the film. But there was too much swearing.

The plot basically involves a woman who tells two different men that he could be the father of her 16-year-old son, Scott. Scott has run away with his girlfriend, and she want 3 both men to look for him. Williams plays a crazed writer, Dale Putney, who has attempted suicide umpteen times. Crystal plays Jack Lawrence, a lawyer. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (Elaine on “Seinfeld”) plays Lawrence’s wife, who is upset about what she does know and even more about what she doesn’t.

“Father’s Day” could be described as a good movie with bad parts or a bad movie with a few good parts. Either way, the two stars did not live up to what was expected of them or the comic talents they’ve shown in their previous movies.