Fatherhood - What We Know So Far
Standup comedian Kevin Hart is one of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood these days. Based on its recent trailer, Hart's upcoming Netflix film, "Fatherhood," will give his fans something a bit different than his usual fare. In "Fatherhood," Hart stars as a newly single father struggling to learn how to parent without his wife. While the movie definitely has comedic moments, you're going to want to keep the tissues handy.
"Fatherhood" isn't Hart's first starring role in a "serious" movie — his first star turn in a dramedy was in 2019's "The Upside," when he played a recently paroled prisoner who was hired to care for a quadriplegic billionaire (Bryan Cranston), and the two formed an unlikely friendship. With a worldwide box office haul of $125 million, "The Upside" proved that Hart has the range to handle the heavier stuff.
Here's everything we know about one of Kevin Hart's upcoming Netflix projects.
What's the release date for Fatherhood?
"Fatherhood" will drop on Netflix on Friday, July 18, 2021, two days before Father's Day.
When "Fatherhood" premieres, it will be more than a year after its original release date, and it will be distributed by an entirely different company. Its initial distributor, Sony Pictures, planned to release "Fatherhood" in theaters on April 3, 2020. But after "The Upside" did so well on its premiere during Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend 2019 that Sony pushed "Fatherhood" back to January 18, 2021 (via Deadline)
With the majority of U.S. movie theaters still closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sony scrapped plans for a theatrical release and negotiated a deal to release "Fatherhood" on Netflix in March (via Variety). At that point, Barack and Michelle Obama joined the project to present "Fatherhood" under their production company, Higher Ground. This will allow many more people to enjoy the film before most theaters work out a formal reopening plan.
Who's in the cast of Fatherhood?
Kevin Hart plays the lead, Matthew Logelin, who's based on the real-life author of the book that inspired "Fatherhood." Melody Hurd plays Matthew's daughter, Maddy.
In addition to Hart, "Fatherhood" has a strong supporting cast of veterans from many other comedies. Matthew's best friends Oscar and Jordan are played by Anthony Carrigan and Lil Rel Howery, respectively. Carrigan is best known in comedic circles for playing NoHo Frank on HBO's dark comedy, "Barry," while Lil Howery starred in "Get Out" as Rod. "Mad About You" and "The Kominsky Method" star Paul Reiser is also in the cast, playing a character with the same first name.
Rounding out the cast are Alfre Woodard ("Star Trek: First Contact," "Captain America: Civil War") and Frankie Faison ("The Silence of the Lambs," "The Wire,") as Matthew's mother and father, and DeWanda Wise ("She's Gotta Have It") as Swan.
What is the plot of Fatherhood?
"Fatherhood" is based on Matthew Logelin's 2011 memoir, "Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love," which told the story of the first year of his life as a new parent following the tragic and unexpected death of Liz, his wife and the mother of his newborn daughter. Like his memoir counterpart, the Matthew of "Fatherhood" loses his wife one day after she givse birth to their daughter Maddy. This forces Matthew to learn how to be a single parent while grieving for the love of his life.
Based on the trailer, Matthew leans on his friends Oscar and Jordan for help but still finds himself in over his head. Eventually, he moves home to Minnesota to live with his parents, who help him come to terms with his loss. As Matthew starts to move on, he finds a potential new romantic partner.
All of this makes "Fatherhood" sound like a tearjerker, but this is a Kevin Hart movie, so there should be plenty of laughs, too. It should be a perfect companion piece to a full Father's Day weekend.