It’s tough being a dad, but you can at least be assured that you don’t have to contend with fire-breathing dragons, rooftop body slams or assassination attempts (we hope).
Instead, you can enjoy watching other dads — and surrogate dads — confront those thrills this month in theaters.
Here’s a roundup of what to watch with the father figure in your life.
The Heartwarming
‘How to Train Your Dragon’
Hiccup isn’t like the other vikings. He can barely lift a battle ax, much less wield one; he’d rather tinker than trade insults with his peers, and he’s more clumsy than courageous. He is, in other words, tough for his manly-man village chief father (played by Gerard Butler), to love. But when he unexpectedly vaults to the top of his dragon-fighting training class — using mysterious means — his father is over the moon. However, when Hiccup suggests NOT killing dragons? Cue the shame. In theaters.
‘Elio’
When your dad is a warlord, and you just want to make him proud — preferably without the need for intergalactic conquest — well, it’s not easy for either father or son. But that’s the case among Glordon, a sluglike purple alien with no eyelids, and his dad, the fearsome space ruler Lord Grigon, in the latest Pixar film “Elio.”
When Glordon and the titular protagonist, 11-year-old Elio, who must negotiate with Lord Grigon to prevent him from destroying the universe, become fast friends, loyalties will be tested. Will Glordon’s dad come around when his son is kidnapped and agrees to be used as a bargaining chip? Or will he abandon the kid to fate? (Yes, this one isn’t quite out yet, but no one says you can’t buy your dad advance tickets!) In theaters June 20.
Super Surrogate Fathers
‘The Life of Chuck’
After the parents of Chuck Krantz (played at various ages by Benjamin Pajak, Cody Flanagan and Jacob Tremblay) are killed in a car crash, his hard-drinking grandfather, Albie Krantz (Mark Hamill), becomes a source of wisdom and advice. Left to raise the boy with his loving wife (Mia Sara), Hamill’s soulful but practical Albie waxes poetic about the beauty of math. He is haunted by what seem to be visions of the future, all focused on one theme: death. After he is widowed, he confronts the end of his own life with poise, grace and indomitable decency.
The film is adapted from a Stephen King story, but don’t expect gory horror — like the source material, it’s a coming-of-age drama, told in reverse chronological order. In theaters.
‘Karate Kid: Legends’
The actual father of the new karate kid, Li Fong (Ben Wang), isn’t around, so good thing he has three substitutes: His Uncle Han (Jackie Chan), the kung fu master who trained him in Beijing before Li’s mom (Ming-Na Wen) moved them to New York City. Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), who jets in from Southern California to help Li train for a karate tournament against his bully (Aramis Knight). And Victor Lipani (Joshua Jackson), a former boxing champion who owns a local pizzeria — and whose teenage daughter, Mia (Sadie Stanley), catches Li’s eye.
If you liked Netflix’s recently wrapped “Cobra Kai” spinoff series, this movie is for you: It delivers dragon kicks, copious Mr. Miyagi nostalgia and even an end-credits cameo by a beloved star of “Cobra Kai” (you knew there was a “Miyagi Dough” joke coming at some point). In theaters.
‘The Last Rodeo’
Grandpas, amirite? Their heroic screen run continues this weekend when a retired rodeo legend (Joe Wainwright) enters a high-stakes bull riding competition with a $750,000 prize in a bid to save the life of his grandson (Graham Harvey), who needs an expensive surgery to remove a brain tumor. Facing his past may be painful — he broke his neck riding a bull while drunk, an injury that derailed the life of his daughter (Sarah Jones) as well as his own — and at age 50, the odds may be stacked against him — but it’s nothing compared with the prospect of losing his grandson. In theaters.
LGBTQ+
‘I Don’t Understand You’
A cross between the Hugh Grant-led psychological horror thriller “Heretic” and Netflix’s clueless American expat comedy series “Emily in Paris,” Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells ham it up as a pair of dads-to-be just trying to reconnect on an anniversary trip to rural Italy before adopting a baby. The only problem: They can’t seem to stop accidentally killing people. The cast includes Amanda Seyfried as the baby’s mother, as well as Morgan Spector from HBO’s period drama “The Gilded Age” as the Italian redneck Massimo, with an unfortunately — possibly fatally — thick accent. In theaters.
It’s Complicated
‘The Phoenician Scheme’
A deadpan nun (Mia Threapleton) and her savvy businessman father (Benicio Del Toro) haven’t seen each other in years and their relationship is, you might stay, strained (there are warmer glaciers). But when he concocts a scheme to conquer the world and amass a fortune and wants to name her his successor before he kicks the bucket for good (he’s survived several assassination attempts and six grisly plane crashes), they find their shared stubbornness dissolving into grudging affection — and maybe even understanding.
As with any Anderson film, there’s an all-star lineup of cameos, among them Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray and Benedict Cumberbatch. In theaters.
Sarah Bahr writes about culture and style for The Times.
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