Happy Father's Day: Here's Indiewire's Favorite Movie Dads

Mac MacGuff, "Juno"
On top of boasting the best name on this list (no question), Mac MacGuff (as played by the wry and wonderful J.K. Simmons) is one hell of a dad to Juno (Ellen Page) -- or Junebug, as he affectionately calls her. That fact's evident from the outset of "Juno" -- Jason Reitman's Academy Award-winning comedy, penned by the enviably talented Diablo Cody -- where we're introduced to Juno, a whip-smart, idiosyncratic and altogether charming high-school kid with a good head on her shoulders. There's no question about it: this girl was raised right. So it's no doubt alarming for Mac when his daughter informs him that she's pregnant. But Mac, being Mac, doesn't fly into a fit of rage like most dad's no doubt would; he handles it matter-of-factly by supporting Juno's decision to give the kid away. He helps her every step of the way, up until Juno's final trip to the maternity ward where he tells his daughter, ""Someday, you'll be back here, honey...on your terms." Now that's a good dad. [Nigel M. Smith]

Man, “The Road”
When Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy opted to tell this post-apocalyptic horror story without giving the protagonist a name, it was pretty clear that he meant the Man to represent all fathers – or, at least, the greatest potential of fatherhood. Driven as much by limitless love as by primitive survival instincts, the man played by Viggo Mortensen in this John Hillcoat-directed film adaptation travels to the end of the Earth – literally – to keep his vulnerable, starving son alive. He weeps for him, he runs, scrounges and kills for him, he fears for him, he dies for him. Though no dad in his right mind would ever wish for that kind of test, every one hopes that, should he find himself faced with those brutal choices, he too would find the inner strength and divine will to do whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. [Jay A. Fernandez]

Uxbal, "Biutiful"
How to describe Alejandro González Iñárritu'd "Biutiful"? Some call the 2010 film unwatchable, heartbreaking, devastating, depressing, stodgy and self-important. Others found it beautiful, and it earned Javier Bardem the Cannes Best Actor award and an Oscar nomination. We follow Bardem as Uxbal, the dying father of two -- estranged from their bipolar mother, as he weaves his way through Barcelona as a low-level criminal attempting to do something good before his body fails him. As the consequences of his life and choices fuel the storm building around him, his devotion to and love for his children becomes very painful to watch. It's certainly not an easy film, perhaps not even enjoyable. Few other actors could do what Bardem does in "Biutiful," and if for nothing else, the film should be appreciated as a testament to the connection between father and child and the depths of  sadness when they part. Uxbal whispers to his daughter, Ana; "Look in my eyes. Look at my face. Remember me, please. Don't forget me, Ana. Don't forget me, my love, please." [Sophia Savage]