DVD Review: STRONG FATHERS, STRONG DAUGHTERS

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Dec 29, 2022 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Everything seems to be going as planned for wealthy businessman Steve Parston (Bart Johnson). His company just scored a major client, he has a loving wife Connie (Robyn Lively) and three beautiful daughters—the eldest of whom, Abby (Carrie Wampler), just graduated from business school and is returning home from a mission trip to Mexico. Steve is excited for Abby to join his company as a junior executive—after all, it was her ideas that helped land that big client. However, when Abby gets home, she announces that she is engaged to a guy she met on the missionary trip, Oz (Brandon Prado), and they plan to get married in three weeks, before they head out for a three-year service program in Kenya. This is a lot to take in for Steve, who wants to see his daughter put that expensive business degree to good use, and not waste her skills (and his investment) on some unpaid missionary trip, especially to a dangerous place like Africa. Steve knows its a losing battle to get Abby to call off the wedding, so he at least insists on giving her the elaborate, expensive wedding she always dreamed about as a child, even though Oz and her would rather have the money go towards their mission, instead of being wasted on a big party and expensive gifts they don’t need. The situation soon becomes all about what Steve wants (or what he believes his daughter wants), ignoring Abby’s opinions, and this starts to strain their father/daughter relationship. At the same time, Steve is neglecting his other two daughters, especially angsty 16-year-old Zoey (Kayla DiVenere, Love, Victor) who’s been getting in with the wrong crowd, and sneaking out to college parties.

Oz’s parents Carlos (David Barrera) and Bella (Maria Canals-Barrera, Cristela) spend most of their time doing missionary work abroad, but are also pastors/owners of a nearby church. They have returned for the wedding, and notice what is going on between Steve and Abby. Carlos offers Steve some advice in the form of a book called “Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters”, which helped him raise his own three daughters, all of whom are now married. While Steve initially ignores Carlos’ advice, the tensions with Abby heat up. He fears losing touch with not just Abby, but all his daughters, and starts looking to the book for advice on a new approach to parenting.

While Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters has its more dramatic moments, the film is primarily a comedy, and a really funny and entertaining one at that. The dialogue is witty and fun, but also feels very real and natural, especially the banter between the parents and kids, and Steve’s “bad” dad jokes. The Parstons feel like a real family, and it certainly helps that the actors playing the two sets of parents in the film are married to one another in real life—that chemistry really shows on screen.

Bart Johnson is perfectly cast as Steve. He really delivers on the film’s physical humor. Steve is constantly getting into messy and embarrassing situations as he tries to prove himself better than others, especially when it comes to Oz’s parents and their service work. I must admit that I was kind of on Steve’s side for most of the movie, even though he was initially being made out to be the bad guy. The supporting characters are also great, especially hilarious party planner Crystal (Arden Myrin, Insatiable), whose energy level is constantly dialed up to 11, and her oddball sidekick Stan (Corey Walter Johnson). The film makes use of some fun visual gags throughout the movie, such as tumbleweeds blowing across the screen and a western riff as Steve believes he’s facing off against Carlos. The film can be a bit over-the-top and cheesy in parts, but in a really fun way.

This movie is not rated, but it is generally something the whole family can laugh at and enjoy together. There is only one scene involving some alcohol at a party that may be concerning for some parents, but is it likely nothing to worry about. I think a lot of families will see themselves in the Parstons, especially fathers of daughters.

There is no Blu-ray release for Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, but Sony’s DVD still looks very good. The picture is generally clean and satisfying—not quite as sharp and detailed as an HD release, but certainly more than sufficient to fully enjoy the film without any distraction. The dialogue is mainly focused on the center channel, but the surround sound is used sparingly to provide some ambiance, and enhance the film’s score and soundtrack. The disc comes packed in a standard DVD case, without a slipcover or digital copy. Unfortunately there is no bonus material included.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:33:53)

480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English, English SDH

Extras:

There is no bonus material included on the disc.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters is a hilarious comedy that the whole family can enjoy together. Mixing witty and natural-sounding dialogue with some great physical humor, the film tells a story of a father who’s lost touch with his daughters as they’ve grown up, and needs to reevaluate his priorities and parenting methods. The audio/video presentation is solid, but unfortunately Sony’s DVD is barebones, not including any digital copy or bonus material. The DVD is still an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a more wholesome and heartwarming family comedy.