"Fatherhood" warm and likable without being entirely insightful
Fatherhood (2021) “Fatherhood” has its heart in the right place without saying anything new. It can be applauded for being what it isn’t—a glib, frantic feature-length sitcom with soiled diaper hijinks—but the film is actually noteworthy for what it is: a commercially viable vehicle for Kevin Hart that doesn’t lose recognizable honesty. Based on a true story (and a book, “Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love,” by Matthew Logelin), the film still has shades of the deathless 1983 Michael Keaton vehicle “Mr. Mom” and Kevin Smith’s sticky-sweet 2004 romantic dramedy “Jersey Girl.” Luckily, director Paul Weitz (2015’s “Grandma” ) handles the sentimental material on a down-to-earth, surprisingly human level, even if Weitz’s script co-written with Dana Stevens (2013’s “Safe Haven” ) isn’t always that insightful, and the wonderful cast helps greatly. In a nice change of pace from comic-dynamo roles, Kevin Hart stretches those dramatic muscles and gives one of his most likably...