Based on the talent involved and the origins of the project, hopes were high that 2015’s Fathers and Daughters would be able to deliver an emotional drama that maximized the strengths of those involved on either side of the camera. Unfortunately, that didn’t turn out to be the case.
Brad Desch’s screenplay made the 2012 Black List, so it came packing a lot of buzz, while director Gabriele Muccino had carved out a solid reputation for tugging at the cinematic heartstrings through his earlier features including The Last Kiss, Remember Me, My Love and The Pursuit of Happyness.
Throw in a talented ensemble led by Russell Crowe that featured support from Amanda Seyfried, Aaron Paul, Diane Kruger, Octavia Spencer and Jane Fonda to name just a few, and it looked as though audiences were potentially in store for a moving exploration of a family’s trials and tribulations told across multiple generations.
Instead, Fathers and Daughters wound up with a 28% Rotten Tomatoes score and flopped at the box office, barely recouping $5 million of the $22 million budget. However, it’s on a Netflix roll as per FlixPatrol, having jumped 25 places on the most-watched list since yesterday, with an eye on flying even higher as we head into the weekend.
