Patrick comments on "Father Hood"
to Nanciann Cherry of the Toledo Blade:

["Father Hood"] "is a bit of a different love story between a father and his children because this is a scumbag, street-trash criminal, so he's an unlikely hero, a man who becomes a hero for a day. That really intrigued me, and we worked real hard to not have it be predictable.

"In the beginning you don't like my character. The audience is going to be going, `Oh, please, don't let this guy have these kids.'

"This is like a Disney movie with an edge. It's not a white-collar movie, if that's the right term. It's a movie that relates to people who are looking honestly at their lives. Now, it's not Chekhov; it's still a Disney movie: a lot of fun, poignant and touching, and it's got the requisite action and, you'll notice with this character, . . . he's always on the verge of violence, but he never does it."

"In a way, Jack Charles was a real symbolic character for me. It was like an exorcism to really look at that wild side, the side that's in pain and because of the pain is afraid to look at the truth of what's really going on. Yet this movie is a lot of fun, not heavy-handed."

"Jack Charles" gains his freedom!


Father ............... or ............... Hood?
Jack's moment of truth in the film's climatic moment!

Some Thoughts on Father Hood
by Phyllis Addis

Is the role of Father an easy thing for everyone? I doubt it. An example of this is Jack Charles in "Father Hood". Here we have a man who does not accept the responsibilities of his children. In fact, Jack does not accept many responsibilities in his life. He feels that children can be created and then given to someone else to raise. Why not? That is the way he was raised and he is doing ok. If he does not have to be with the children, then there is no chance that he might grow to love them as only a father can. To him "out of sight, out of mind".

However, what happens when he is confronted with his children? They need him. He sees this and does what he can. How much is that? Well, enough to get them out of the "place" they are in and hopefully dump them at their Grandmas. Should he be surprised when Grandma doesn't want to help? It will mess up her life just as I am sure she thought Jack did. So he is forced to keep them with him.


Diane Ladd stars as Patrick's mom

As the movie progresses we can see that Jack is starting to listen and care for his children. Funny what happens when you feel with your heart and put someone elses wants and needs before yours. We see Jack is indeed warm and caring and quite funny. He tries to hold his feelings back but little by little the children get to him as only a child can. How can Jack not love these two. They are his and even though he has never been there for them, they love him. Unconditionally and openly. All they want is a father. They don't ask for money or things or a normal life. They just want a dad. How can a man turn away?

Jack proves he is not only a Father but also a Dad and Daddy. He puts them first by the end of the movie and he will do anything for them even if it means bad things for him. Jack has come full circle. Has he stopped the cycle of this disfunctional family? In my view, absolutely. Love and family is a powerful thing. Jack was blindsided by both and luckily for him and the children, he did not fight back.

A Brief Father Hood Pictorial

A quote from Sabrina Lloyd:

"Patrick Swayze was a joy to work with and it got me exposure and experience"

The challenges of a road picture were unending. Director Darrell James Roodt notes, "Most road movies are, paradoxicall, pretty stationary pieces. They're about people in a motor car, and there's not much you can do with that. I wanted to flesh it out and bring a lot of external action to the story.; And every place we went, I wanted to show it through my eyes, the eyes of a foreigner fresh to this country, and show places that hadn't been seen before. I wanted to avoid the cliche and the familiar".

Some basic facts about "Father Hood"

Released August 27, 1993
Domestic Box Office: $3,418,141
94 Minutes, Rated PG-13, from Hollywood
Filmed in: Texas, Louisiana, Nevada

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