Fatherhood

Matt is left to raise his infant daughter Maddy on his own after his partner Lizzie dies in childbirth. Grief, self-doubt and the everyday demands of caring for a baby collide as he takes on a role he never expected to face alone. His friends and family, including his mother Marian, step in to help him find his footing as a single parent. The story is drawn from real events.

Paul Weitz directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Dana Stevens. It is the twelfth of the thirteen films Weitz has directed, following Bel Canto and preceding Moving On. Kevin Hart, who also produced, plays Matt, with Melody Hurd as Maddy, Alfre Woodard as Marian, DeWanda Wise as Lizzie, Lil Rel Howery as Jordan and Anthony Carrigan as Oscar. The production was handled by Columbia Pictures with Bron Studios, Temple Hill Entertainment and Higher Ground Productions, and runs 109 minutes across comedy and drama.

On IMDb the film holds 6.6 out of 10 from roughly 46,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 7.5 from about 1,600 votes. A critics' rating of 6.4 from 75 reviews places it slightly below the IMDb audience figure and clearly under the smaller TMDB sample, suggesting a warmer response from casual viewers than from reviewers.