40 Best Father and Daughter Movies, Ranked

Healthy parent-child bonds shape mental, emotional and linguistic development, and few cinematic themes feel as resonant as the father‑daughter relationship. This list collects 40 films that translate that connection to the screen, celebrating moments of tenderness, repair and conflict without shying away from complexity.

The entries are ranked by how well they depict the bond and by their entertainment value. Films range from Robert Lorenz’s Trouble with the Curve, in which Amy Adams’s Mickey joins her ailing father (Clint Eastwood) on a possible final scouting trip as baseball becomes a language of healing, to Definitely, Maybe, where Ryan Reynolds’s Will explains divorce and past relationships to his 11‑year‑old daughter (Abigail Breslin) while touching on politics.

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