I was watching E.T. for the first time in many years when I noticed the missing father figure theme of the show that I hadn't noticed when I saw the film as a kid. On a larf, I put out the question on twitter for other examples of daddy issues in cinema, and here's what folks came up with:
Star Wars
The Godfather
Chinatown
The Passion
The Departed
Great Santini
Like Father Like Son
Terminator films
Back to the Future
2001
Citizen Cane
Long Hot Summer
Little Shop of Horrors
Mrs. Doubtfire (pfft.)
Prince of Tides
Iron Giant
Goldmember
Field of Dreams
Gymkata
Death Wish
La vita e bella
The Boy Who Wore Pajamas
Garden State
Uncle Buck
Reality Bites
Almost Famous
Something tells me this barely scratches the surface.
