7 Fantastic Movie Dads to Celebrate on Father’s Day

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Dad: Chris Gardner (Will Smith)
Movie: The Pursuit of Happyness (12+)
Why we love him: A single father struggling through difficult times, Chris works hard to make a better life for himself and his son (played by Smith's own son, Jaden). He occasionally loses his cool, but his son never doubts that his father will take care of him.

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There’s no shortage of dads in the movies. But all too often, it seems that filmmakers fall back on the stereotypically goofy, bumbling dad — the kind who inspires head shaking and eye rolling from his wife and kids (not to mention everyone watching at home).

Although that breed of clueless patriarch certainly can be funny (see Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s Vacation), the dads we really love are the ones who are thoughtful, caring, and truly committed to working hard at fatherhood. They’re not perfect, but that makes them all the more realistic and appealing — not to mention worthy role models.

Flip through the slidshow to meet our top seven movie dads.

– By Betsy Bozdech, Common Sense Media