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You can watch Father Stu on Netflix, or if you don’t have a subscription, you can rent Father Stu from DVD.com by Netflix. Or on Amazon Prime #ad or on Amazon proper to buy the DVD / Blu Ray.
The dogged and determined, rough around the edges and from a challenged past - this is the Wahlberg special I'm happy to watch as related to physical disability.
In this movie, Mark Wahlberg's character faces a debilitating condition, so it's of particular interest to those who know someone who's now in a wheelchair or similar.
It’s a movie about a guy who didn’t have much of a father, whose bright childhood dreams to become a performer dimmed from lack of interest and validation from his father. As a dogged 30-something boxer who never made it big, his body is telling him he’s got to stop fighting. He’s got to find something else to fill that soul hole left void by family tragedy.
Stu was brought up in an atheist family, at least by the authoritative opinion of his father, but Stu found god through unconventional ways through maintaining his commitment to a decent life is a never ending challenge. The protagonist whose exceptional natural talent remained underdeveloped, found an unlikely path forward in pursuit of personal greatness while remaining positively influential to the important people in his lives.
I’m a person who’s got an uncomfortable relationship with religion, and this film effectively demonstrated the power of faith for a man in struggle. The film depicted racial and gender harmony, but stood on the fence about LGBTQ+ communities. One gay character you meet is a slime bag. Stu is smiling in the scene with a drag queen, but it was from good news he’d received the scene previous. Late into the movie, later into Stu’s reformation, Stu states his distaste for gays.
Both Stu and his father turn out to be late-bloomers. Stu wanted to be an exception. He wanted to be special. He chose something to believe in and clung onto it unwaveringly. You want to root for him as the underdog, as he’s punched in the face boxing, as he’s charming himself into a new opportunity mid-film. Leave it to Wahlberg to play a momma’s boy so well. Why the film was worth watching to the end for me is how the relationship between Stu and Father. With my dad’s Parkinson’s it’s a doozy for me to accept I’ll bever get the validation or apology I crave. I’m a grown ass adult now, and it’s got to be my will to become what I believe is right. Stu’s internal transformation, as connected to his behavior all his life, as connected to his father’s failures, is the dynamic from this film which continues to resonate days since watching.
Find more movies for caregivers of Parkinson’s, Dementia, and aging people in general.
