The Power of the Dad Joke

People don’t get dad jokes. Not because the jokes aren’t smart or funny enough. It’s because they mistakenly think dad jokes are corny one-liners or puns. They’re not. Dad jokes are part of a greater goal. They are one throw in a constant game of soft toss.

Even ChatGPT, which rips off human knowledge, doesn’t understand what a dad joke is. Let me show you.

👨 Me: Hey, ChatGPT, can you give me an example of a dad joke?

🖥 ChatGPT: Why don't skeletons fight each other? Because they don't have the guts.

See? That’s just a bad pun. It has nothing to do with dads relentlessly pursuing our main objective, which is to playfully pepper our children with jokes day after day to uncover a hidden gem of a response. Here’s how I dad joke.

My eldest daughter saw Shrek when she was three. She loved the movie but never included a song on her curated Pandora kids movie mix. I spotted that hole in her defenses and attacked. Every day for six months, when she played her movie mix, I would say, “That’s my favorite song from Shrek!” At first, she laughed. Then she got bored. Then she got annoyed. Then she tried to ignore me. That’s when I struck. I snuck a song from Shrek into her mix. That night while prepping dinner, she’s coloring and listening to her mix. Smash Mouth sings, “Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me…” While cutting carrots, I casually say, “That’s my favorite song from Shrek.” I stopped chopping and looked up to collect the bounty of my work. Within the span of two seconds, her face was annoyed, confused, stunned, surprised, and in awe. She wanted to know how I did it. I told her a dad never gives away his secrets. That day, my legend grew in her eyes.

This is why we make dad jokes. We don’t just lob out throwaway one-liners. We systematically work the plate to get what we want. We know our kids see the high heat inside coming their way — they will swing and hit it. They’re comfortable in that spot. We use daily jokes to push them outward, away from their perceived comfort zone. Then, when they’re just far enough away — BAM! High heat inside. A bomb of a joke right in their security spot. They’re stunned. They’re amused. They’re reminded that we’re going to be with them, day after day, making them laugh.

Dad jokes are a long con to build a connection with your kids by getting them to react in ways they haven’t before. People watching us work our craft hear one line and think that’s it. We dads know, a joke is a single pitch. And our game has nine innings. We’re going to use all of them to secure our legacy and make fans of our favorite people.

Brendan

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Is It Screen-Worthy?

Family Pack

(seriously, that’s the name)

Pint-Sized Review:

There aren’t many werewolf-friendly movies for families even though lycanthropic creatures do heavy lifting in thematic filmmaking. They’re about transformation and regret. Family Pack is based on the tabletop game Werewolves of Millers Hollow.

A family finds a medieval version of the game and are transported back in time to a medieval village that is recently plagued with werewolves. The family, which is struggling to stay connected in modern times, transforms into an ideal family unit by working together to eradicate the world of werewolves and send them home.

There are the usual fish out of water moments you’d expect, but those are peppered with clever dialogue and funny moments. Some dialogue and moments touch on the mature — but don’t cross the line. The werewolves won’t win any SFX awards but provide a few jump scares. Any kid 7+ is fine watching this film — with one caveat. It is in French. Your child either needs to speak French, read captions, or you need to change language settings to the English dub.

There’s no need to line up shots of whiskey to survive this one. It’s charming and well-made. Pour a cognac or two and enjoy a film that has the vibes of a 90s kids action flick, but with themes that are relevant today.

Streaming: Netflix

Rating: PG-13 (Mine: 7+)

Director: Francois Uzan

Starring: Franck Dubosc, Suzanne Clément, Jean Reno

Run time: 1:35m

Post-credits scenes: No

Bathroom breaks: You’re streaming. Hit pause.

Sequel? Unlikely

If you liked Family Pack, check out these films:

• Zathura (2005)

• Jumanji (1995)

• Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

• A Kid in King Arthur’s Court (1995) (Not great but relevant)

• Goosebumps: The Werewolf of Fever Swamp (1997) (VHS only)

Fresh Cuts

The latest family films to hit all screens. These are not recommendations. Watch at your own risk. (I’m looking at you, The Christmas Trap!)

In Theaters 📽️

• (Nov. 1) Here

• (Nov. 1) Hitpig

• (Nov. 1) Lost on a Mountain in Maine

• (Nov. 8) The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

• (Nov. 14) Saint Nick of Bethlehem

On Disc 📀

• (Nov. 5) You Gotta Believe

• (Nov. 5) Genie 

• (Nov. 5) Frankie Freako

News You Can Use (and Sometimes Booze)

All the new trailers, cool collaborators, tech and gadget releases, theater openings, and booze news that’ll make or break your family movie nights.

• Regulation: The FTC will force streamers to streamline their unsubscribe process. It goes into effect in 180 days from registration. Which is…add this…subtract that…carry the one….mid-April.

• Industry: Toho acquires GKIDS, which distributes the best international animation we see in the United States, like The Secret of Kells and The Boy and the Heron. Toho says it means more movies will head to the US.

• A24: A24 dropped the trailer for the studio's first family film. It has the look and story of Wes Anderson's How to Train a Dragon -- with much less whimsy.

• Trailer: A new Wallace and Gromit film is headed to Netflix in January.

• Streaming: If you miss Transformers One in theaters, don’t fret. You can rent or buy it at home. See this film. It’s fantastic.

• Bero: Spider-Man launches a non-alcoholic beer. Perfect for dads who don’t drink or those of us who celebrate Dry January.

Papa Do Preach!

Let’s Get Rec’d!

Check my list before you wreck yourself next family film night.

Keepin’ It Real

Chess movies rarely move you. However, this Queen is unburdened by the micro-sub-genre at its core. It moves freely, knocking over your expectations by putting you in a place that you don’t know. Katwe is a slum in Uganda’s capital city Kampala. There’s crime and grime and beauty. The people in Queen of Katwe are pawns in a system that often doesn’t let them move beyond the square they began in. But a teacher who believes in the kids of Katwe introduces them to chess and shows the world how a little hope and persistence can completely change the rules of your game. Queen of Katwe is based on a true story. You’ll meet them during the credits — it’s worth sticking around. Queen of Katwe is streaming now on Disney+.

Kickin’ It Old School

Confess. Most of you have not seen what is one of the best films ever made. The dance sequences are electric. The comedy is still sharp. The expertly written story is an insider’s look at Hollywood’s transition from silence to sound. You know the song. You’ve likely seen a clip of the dancing sequence. You don’t realize what you’re missing if you haven’t seen Singing in the Rain. I bought the 4k UHD disc because my kids, who first saw this at ages 4 and 6, continually ask to watch it again. Each spring, my wife sips a fizzy drink while I shake up an old fashioned. We settle in to marvel at the master craftsmanship on display. You don’t like musicals? Sip that old fashioned and settle into your couch’s time-honed ass-groove. Trust me, you’ll get over it fast. Singing in the Rain is streaming now on Max.

Secret Sauce

April and the Extraordinary World is set in a steampunk-lite world where science is treasured above nature. Its exquisite 2D style anchors you to the world when the fantastic takes off — and it soars. April is trying to solve the disappearance of her parents while navigating the unexpected wonders of this reimagined world. It’s full of funny moments and creative twists. April and the Extraordinary World is streaming now on Criterion Network and Kanopy. If you don’t have Kanopy, it’s free in most cities, with no ads — you just need a library card. It’s one the best libraries streaming.

For Your Eyes Only

What to watch after THEY go to bed.

You spent the last month screaming in terror. Now you want to laugh. Let me tell you about a modern comedy masterpiece that no one knows about. Hundreds of Beavers is a mix of Buster Keaton silent films, Looney Tunes, Monty Python, Jackass, and Scott Pilgrim. The film offers a light premise that’s hearty enough to string along a few dozen hilariously escalating scenes about a trapper trying to kill hundreds of beavers. Despite my comparisons, this film is not like anything you’ve seen before. Hundreds of Beavers is low-budget, high-comedy independent filmmaking at its best. You can see it with ads on Tubi or Roku Channel. I bought a digital copy on Amazon. Its producers are now working on a 35mm copy that can be screened at your town’s coolest theater.

Stir Things Up!

Drink recipes that’ll get your reel spinning!

The Cornfield Classic

Ingredients:

• 2 oz rye whiskey

• 1/4 oz simple syrup

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

• 1 dash orange bitters

Garnish:

• Orange peel twist

• Baseball bat straws

Instructions:

1. Pour: Add simple syrup and bitters into a rocks glass.

2. Stir: Pour in whiskey. Stir to combine.

3. Ice: Drop in one large ice cube (several medium-sized cubes are fine, but will melt faster).

4. Express: Squeeze the orange peel over the drink, letting the oils express downward. Add the peel.

5. Impress: Take pictures of your impressive drink to build jealousy on social media – especially if you have the bat straws.

The perfect drink for autumn family film nights and playoff baseball.

Cheers!