40 fantastic films to watch with your old man on Father’s Day

New slippers and fishing gear are great. But what Dad really wants this Father’s Day is to curl up with his favorite people for some quality time together. The best way to do just that? A movie marathon that celebrates him, of course.

Luckily, there are so many amazing classics to fill your marquee. From films about a goof with the best intentions, to a struggling breadwinner who wants custody of his children, to an evil lord of the galactic empire, the pops-verse is vast.

Ahead, see our list of 40 delightfully dad-centric movies that will keep the whole family entertained. And should you want to put a proverbial bow on your gift, tell him he gets to be the master of the remote.

‘Life With Father’ (1947)

A man and his wife struggle with their four rambunctious, red-haired sons — and a visiting cousin, played by a teenage Elizabeth Taylor — in this classic comedy.

Stream it on Amazon

‘Bicycle Thieves’ (1948)

A small story with big implications: In post-WWII Italy, a working-class man’s bicycle is stolen, which means he won’t be able to find work. So he and his young son set out to find his wheels.

Stream it on Tubi

‘Father of the Bride’ (1950, 1991, 2022)

The story about a father who struggles with the stresses of planning of a wedding has evolved over the decades, from the Spencer Tracy version in 1950, to the Steve Martin hit in 1991, to the more recent take starring Andy Garcia in 2022. So there’s definitely a “Father of the Bride” you and your proud papa can hitch yourself to.

Rent the 1950 film on Google Plus

Stream the 1991 film on Hulu

Stream the 2022 film on Max

‘Cheaper by the Dozen’ (1950, 2003, 2022)

Another winning tale that has seen multiple remakes, “Cheaper by the Dozen” sees the man of the house deal with his 12 kiddos in eccentric, humorous ways. Clifton Webb, Steve Martin and Zach Braff, who stars opposite Gabrielle Union in the 2022 blended-family version, all take turns playing dear old dad. And trust us: 12 is a lot to cope with, which means things get wacky pretty fast.

Rent the 1950 film on Google Play

Stream the 2003 film on Disney+

Rent the 2022 film on Fandango

‘An Autumn Afternoon’ (1962)

On one hand, an aging widower wants to see his daughter married and out of the house. On the other, he doesn’t want to be alone.

Stream it on Tubi

‘The Courtship of Eddie’s Father’ (1963)

Eddie wants his father to get remarried, but the women his dad keeps dating aren’t Ms. Right — until the woman next door enters the picture.

Rent it on Fandango

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ (1971)

In czarist Russia, a poor Jewish peasant who clings to “tradition!” needs to marry off his three daughters — all of whom have their own ideas about how they should choose a husband. Meanwhile, a pogrom threatens to upend his village life.

Stream it on Amazon

‘The Godfather’ (1972)

Don Vito Corleone will make you an offer you can’t refuse: Sit down for this all-time classic and see how his son Michael plots to take over the family business, one body at a time.

Stream it on Peacock

‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ (1979)

A man’s wife leaves him and their child, forcing him to dial back his work and become the single parent his child needs. When she returns, a custody battle flips everyone’s world upside down.

Rent it on YouTube

‘The Shining’ (1980)

Not all father-focused films portray dads of the year. See: Jack Torrance, the caretaker of a haunted hotel who goes berserk thanks to prodding from the ghosts.

Rent it on YouTube

‘Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)

A former farm boy-turned-chosen one discovers his (and the galaxy’s) worst enemy is actually one of his closest living relatives, but loses something important in the process.

Stream it on Disney+

‘On Golden Pond’ (1981)

Left behind with his future stepmother’s aging parents in a cabin on an idyllic lake, a surly teen forms a bond with the older people — and a big fish.

Stream it on Peacock

‘Mr. Mom’ (1983)

A dad loses his job as an engineer, and his wife becomes the breadwinner … which means he’s now in charge of the house and their three kids. Gasp! The thought.

Stream it on Tubi

‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’ (1983)

The Griswold family takes a cross-country trip to a theme park called Walley World, encountering adventures and strange people along the way.

Rent it on Google Play

‘Three Men and a Baby’ (1987)

Three men — all friends, roommates and bachelors — find their lives turned upside down when a baby is left on their doorstep.

Stream it on Disney+

‘Field of Dreams’ (1989)

An Iowa farmer gets a mysterious call to build a baseball field in his cornfield. He answers, and the deed draws the ghosts of legendary ballplayers from the stalks. Eventually, the field attracts the biggest legend of all: his own late father.

Stream it on Amazon

‘Dad’ (1989)

In perhaps the most aptly titled film for the holiday, an executive whose work dictates his life, returns home to care for his father. Soon, his estranged son joins them, and three generations bond for the first and possibly last time.

Rent it on Amazon

‘Parenthood’ (1989)

In yet another pit stop on Steve Martin’s quest to become America’s greatest movie dad (see: all the “Cheaper by the Dozen,” and “Father of the Bride” movies), this delight follows Martin’s Gil as he raises his children alongside his siblings.

Stream it on Netflix

‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989)

An adventurer-slash-professor goes in search of his father, who has gone missing while looking for a famous chalice, and encounters Nazis, fanatics and white-knuckle action along the way.

Stream it on Disney+

‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ (1993)

Following a bitter divorce that strips him of custody rights, a father charades as a female housekeeper to secure a job in his ex-wife’s home just so he can spend time with his children.

Stream it on Disney+

‘He Got Game’ (1998)

A convict is granted temporary release to persuade the country’s top basketball recruit — who also happens to be his son — to play for the governor’s alma mater.

Rent it on YouTube

‘Finding Nemo’ (2003)

When a clown fish’s son gets captured by a diver in the open ocean, it’s no joke: His father must now overcome every fear, every anxiety, every doubt to track him down and bring him home.

Stream it on Disney+

‘Daddy Day Care’ (2003)

Two friends, laid off with no prospects in sight, find themselves in a new role: stay-at-home dad. Wanting more, they go big and open their own day care center. Hilarity ensues.

Stream it on Max

‘Big Fish’ (2003)

His dad has always told tall tales. But when he falls ill, Will, a journalist, takes to investigating his father’s incredible stories, parsing through their fiction to understand the real man behind the myths.

Rent it on Amazon

‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ (2006)

Left homeless with his son, a man lands an unpaid internship at a brokerage and does whatever he can to keep his small family together as he restarts their lives.

Rent it on YouTube

‘Daddy’s Little Girls’ (2007)

A mechanic tries to keep his family afloat and get custody of his children while also dealing with his ex-girlfriend and her drug-dealing boyfriend.

Stream it on Netflix

‘Mamma Mia!’ (2008)

Sure, it has “Mamma” in the title, but the story here is about a young woman who invites three of her mom’s former flings to her wedding on a Greek island, hoping to figure out which one of them is her father.

Rent it on YouTube

‘Definitely, Maybe’ (2008)

He’s going through a divorce, and his adolescent daughter has questions. In an attempt to explain the nuances of the adult relationship, Will shares stories of his dating history with her, including how he met and fell in love with her mother.

Stream it on Max

‘Taken’ (2008)

When a retired CIA agent’s daughter is kidnapped and thrust into a human trafficking ring in Europe, he uses his unique set of skills to get her back.

Stream it on Hulu

‘Imagine That’ (2009)

A daughter’s imaginary world turns out to be the solution to many of the problems her dad, a financial executive, is having at work.

Rent it on Google Play

‘We Bought a Zoo’ (2011)

In a world of wacky dad schemes, choosing to move your family to the countryside so you can open a zoo on the verge of collapse is up there. But Dad will persevere!

Stream it on Disney+

‘Like Father, Like Son’ (2013)

Yes, there’s a goofy body-switch film from 1987 with this same title, but we suggest checking out the more emotionally challenging Japanese film from 2013 in which two families learn their 6-year-old sons were switched at birth.

Stream it on AMC+

‘The Judge’ (2014)

Hank, a morally ambiguous attorney, returns home for his mother’s funeral. While there, he learns that his father, the town judge, is suspected of murder. Seeking the truth, Hank deals with his Dad and reconnects with his family along the way.

Rent it on YouTube

‘Interstellar’ (2014)

As Earth becomes uninhabitable, a farmer and former NASA pilot joins a space mission searching for a new planet to host humans — but his daughter is the key to its success.

Stream it on Paramount+

‘Daddy’s Home’ (2015)

A radio host wants his stepchildren to love him — but when their super-cool biological father returns, it’s stepdad vs. original dad for all the marbles. Children, that is, children.

Stream it on Paramount+

‘Captain Fantastic’ (2016)

A father raising his six kids in isolation, aka the forests of the Pacific Northwest, is forced to return to civilization, presenting challenges to his ways of parenting.

Stream it on Max

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ (2017)

The Guardians have found their own family in each other, but when Quill discovers who his father is, everything gets tossed up in the air.

Stream it on Disney+

‘Onward’ (2020)

Two elf brothers band together to resurrect their late father for a single day … but things don’t go as they expected.

Stream it on Disney+

‘The Father’ (2020)

As he slips mentally, a man refuses help from his daughter while trying to understand the changing world around him.

Stream it on Starz

‘Aftersun’ (2022)

A woman named Sophie reflects back on a beach holiday she took with her father as a child, now aware of the turning point it was for them both.

Stream it on Paramount+

This article was originally published on TODAY.com