Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Like Father’ on Netflix, Where Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer Charm a Cruise Ship

If you’re not on an actual vacation this weekend (or even if you are!) you can go on a trip with Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer in Like Father on Netflix. The comedy finds the daddy/daughter duo reconnecting after 26 years apart, and what better place to hash out all your issues with an estranged family member than on a trip to Jamaica? 

Like Father: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: With a script written and directed by Lauren Miller Rogen, this comedy finds Rachel (Bell) left at the altar because she’s more in love with her cell phone and the work that’s on it. Her father (Grammer), who she hasn’t spoken to in 26 years, shows up for the big day, but when it turns out to be a big bummer of a day, he offers to take her out for a drink. The two get so hammered, they end up on her honeymoon: a cruise to Jamaica.

Like Father accurately depicts the balance between claustrophobic nightmare and thrilling vacation that cruise ships can be — especially with someone you’ve been estranged from for over two decades. Luckily, Bell and Grammer are a good on-screen match for each other in these roles. They both get appropriately angry and sad and worked up and hopeful throughout their reconnection on the ship and all the adventures and admissions that come along with it.

They’re also backed up by a solid supporting cast in their new friends on the boat, including a blossoming boatmance for Bell in the form of Jeff, a recently divorced Canadian played by Seth Rogen.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Like Father is sort of like Kristen Bell’s other vacation movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall, except instead of moving on from one relationship to Russell Brand, here she’s moving on to reuniting with her father. So, just a bit less sexy. There are laughs, for sure, but there are just as many, if not more, sentimental moments in regards to family and work and how the two impact each other.

Performance Worth Watching: While it’s always lovely getting a glimpse at Grammer’s sentimental side and Rogen’s romantic side, the scene-stealer here comes in the form of Broad City‘s Paul W. Downs. As Jim, a man on vacation with his boyfriend Steve (Zach Appelman), he’s not strictly a gay caricature, but he damn sure gets in all the comedic observations this film needs at just the right times and will surely be the one to bring you the most LOLs.

Memorable Dialogue: “Honestly, being here in this country, meeting all these people, it makes you realize you have a second chance at happiness and it’s honestly exciting.” The extra chatty Jeff sums up the spirit of the movie in one simple car ride on the way to an excursion.

Single Best Shot: Without spoiling too much here, Like Father does provide viewers with the Bell-Grammer performance they never knew they needed in their lives.

Sex and Skin: There’s a shirtless Seth Rogen scene, really only from the pecs up, but it’s just as he’s gotten out of pool and he’s saying nice things, and it’s sexy, is all I’m saying.

Our Take: Look, is there anything with Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer that you wouldn’t watch? Of course not. You won’t regret watching this, as it’s humorous and heartfelt in equal measures. It’s the kind of movie that is a total bright spot on a rainy day in that it’s cute and it will make you feel good. It’s not the kind of trip you’ll return to multiple times, but still one that you’ll look back on fondly.

Our Call: Stream It. Like Father is ultimately really pleasant, likely to give you a smile or two, and serves as a nice reminder that it’s never too late to reconnect with the people you consider family, in any sense of the word.

Where to watch Like Father