Dads Get Candid About Fatherhood In New Documentary Debuting Ahead Of Father's Day

Will Smith, Jimmy Fallon, Neil Patrick Harris, Hasan Minhaj, and several more fathers are featured in DADS, a heartwarming new documentary coming to Apple TV+. Directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, the actress and filmmaker explains in the trailer that DADS "celebrates all of the great dads out there" and delves into "what it takes to be a father."

Dropping on Apple TV+ on Friday, June 19, just ahead of Father's Day, DADS features interviews with "six extraordinary fathers from across the globe" as well as testimonials from several celeb dads, like father of four Jimmy Kimmel. "You're only as happy as your family, so you're very vulnerable," the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host says in the trailer for the documentary film.

The trailer offers a glimpse of what's in store, showing several dads being vulnerable, afraid, honest, and joyful with their families. For instance, one father featured in the documentary, Robert Selby, opens up about his son's medical condition at birth. "When you're expecting a child, you never prepare for the what ifs. He had two holes in his heart, I will forever be his protector," Selby says in the trailer.

Dallas Howard worked on DADS with her own father, Academy Award winning director Ron Howard. In a recent interview with Good Morning America, Howard touched on why they wanted to make a documentary specifically about dads. "Men don't really talk that much about that much," Howard explained. "They talk about work, they talk about sports, they talk about other things. Sure, they mention the kid, but when you see these men talk about it and understand what their emotional investment is in the job, you recognize first that we all have that in common."

Men go through an emotional "sea change" when they become fathers, as Charles Schaeffer, PhD explained in a 2016 Psychology Today article, but typically don't discuss how deeply emotional an experience it can be, which is why a documentary featuring dads discussing their children, vulnerable moments of parenthood, and their experiences with fatherhood is surprisingly groundbreaking in 2020.

Ultimately, DADS offers a rare glimpse into the world of fatherhood that can often feel shockingly unexplored and will likely make you weep a little in the process.

Catch DADS on Apple TV+ on Friday, June 19.