The film is one of many in its genre, you have probably seen such comedy-dramas more than once in your life (especially if, like me, you watched a lot of movies with your parents on TV before the era of broadband Internet). There have been and are different configurations of such scenarios, but aside from the different main characters (mother, father, single parent group), everything else remains more or less the same. As I have mentioned several times here and there, I have a weakness for such productions and if the script, directing or actors do not go below a certain level, I am able to forgive many of the weaker elements. For this reason, this is one of the few cases where I honestly warn me - "Fatherhood" charmed me, so the integrity I usually try to follow has gone to the closet and you won't experience it in this review.
The plot is banal and extremely cliché - we have a happy marriage, the mother dies, and the still immature man has to undergo an accelerated course of growing up and caring for a child. Besides, we see both father's and daughter's problems as well as their joint problems which they have to solve themselves. We usually look at everything from the perspective of the main character, less often the child, and sometimes other (to a lesser extent) people, i.e. mother and father parents, colleagues, etc. There is a similar problem with this type of comedy-drama as with battle-shounen manga - so many of them have arisen that the chance of seeing something fresh is very small. If it bothers you, well ... It's not a movie for you.
However, if it doesn't bother you, you should have fun. It is not a model production of this genre, but it has everything you need. A well-written script that presents the typical problems of a single parent focused on raising their offspring (i.e. a lot of difficulties for which he was not prepared, a conflict with his mother-in-law, disputes with his daughter). Correct directing, which is hard to fault, although there are not too many reasons to be praised (apart from a well-balanced pace, well-created atmosphere, etc.). Well-conducted casting - actors who did what it needed to do. Especially Kevin Hart, who I don't know, which is why I'm not surprised - while doing research for this text, I found out that he mainly plays in comedies that I rarely watch. His role in the Fatherhood was convincing and real. It may not have been a show of outstanding acting, but I can certainly say that he convinced me with his skills, natural ease. I hope to see him in some better movies than low-budget comedies in the future. As for the other characters, most of the time ... They just were. Their roles were not very important because the movie is not about them, so 3 or maybe even 4 league actors were selected. However, they did their job solidly, so I can't complain. I wrote most of it, because apart from Kevin, it is worth mentioning Melody Hurd, who played the role of a daughter, and DeWanda Wise, who is the new chosen one of the main character's heart. Both ladies stood out against the background of most of the characters, you can feel an authentic chemistry between them - they get along well, they look like a real family, and I liked showing their emotions with facial expressions.
All in all, it's just a good movie. Does it stand out enough that you have to watch it? No, dozens of such films are made every year. Usually they are not popular in cinemas, especially with such competition from effective blockbusters, action movies, etc. but they work well in the privacy of your home, when you have already watched almost all ... "More interesting", so to speak, productions offered by streaming platforms. Just in time for a Sunday after a family breakfast or lunch, when it's hot outside and it's better not to leave without a good reason. I rate it on 7/10. Perhaps my rating is too high, so let's say I might as well rate it a 6 or a 6.5 / 10.