Owen Wilson’s lengthy filmography features some of the most memorable comedies of the last few decades, from Meet the Fockers and Zoolander to Shanghai Noon and Wedding Crashers. Of course, there have been several swings and misses as well, such as 2017’s Father Figures, which is currently flying up the charts on Netflix ahead of Thanksgiving.
Directed by Lawrence Sher, Father Figures follows brothers Kyle (Owen Wilson) and Peter (Ed Helms) as they embark on a whirlwind adventure across America to find out who their biological father is by meeting up with all of their mother’s old flings.
The R-rated buddy comedy wasn’t exactly warmly received by critics, managing a sorry 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. Among the countless negative reviews, Slant Magazine called it “meandering and bloated,” Variety referred to it as “a limply spritzing fountain of unconvincing (and unfunny) tricks,” and Total Film says that if you’re looking for laughs, “look elsewhere.”
Despite all of that, plenty of Netflix subscribers are currently giving the movie a second chance after it bombed at the box office seven years ago. And while multiple high-profile originals have hit the streaming service in recent days, Father Figures is the 5th most popular movie on Netflix as of Tuesday, November 26. It has a decent chance of riding that momentum into the weekend as families look for something to watch over the Thanksgiving holiday.
As long as you don’t go in expecting some forgotten classic, you may have some fun with it. The cast features Glenn Close as Kyle and Peter’s mom, as well as J. K. Simmons, Terry Bradshaw, Christopher Walken, and Jack McGee as their potential fathers.
You might also learn why Owen Wilson didn’t appear in another movie for over three years.