Steve Martin helps Jasen Fisher hit a pinata in the 1989 film Parenthood.
PLAYED BY: Steve Martin (who portrayed another memorable dad in 1991’s Father of the Bride)
HIS SITUATION: Emotionally scarred by a dad who never had enough time for him, Gil Buckman constantly frets about his own performance as a father.
PARENTING TRAIT WE ADMIRE: Empathy. Painfully aware of his own lonely (and anxiety-inducing) experiences growing up, Gil tries hard to become the kind of father he never had.
IN A DAYDREAM SEQUENCE AT A BALLPARK, SUDDENLY UNDERSTANDING A SIGNIFICANT CHILDHOOD INCIDENT: “This was a great symbolic moment of my life. My father dumping me with you… it’s why I swore things would be different with my kids. It’s my dream. Strong, happy, confident kids.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgrbuRNc-AQ]