‘Father’s Shoes’ Filled With Meaning

After all those power tools, ties and cologne have been received and admired, Showtime has a celebratory treat to wrap up Dad’s special day Sunday: “In His Father’s Shoes,” a warm family film with a twist of magic, about father-and-son bonds and barriers, starring Louis Gossett Jr. and 14-year-old Robert Ri’chard.

You have to mightily suspend disbelief after family man Frank (Gossett) dies suddenly, leaving his grief-stricken family to pick up the pieces. That’s when the fantasy kicks in, giving the film a different, younger rhythm than Gossett’s touching, substantial performance as the loving dad.

But it’s fun going along for the ride that has so many meaningful moments along the way, including a terrific surprise ending, which will not be even hinted at here.

Frank’s last wish is for his son Clay (Ri’chard) to find a certain postcard that he had treasured when he himself was a child, a postcard that held great significance for Frank and for Frank’s own estranged, embittered father (Gossett again).

Thanks to a pair of mysterious shoes, a gift to Frank from an equally mysterious curio shop owner, that quest turns into a time-traveling odyssey of discovery for Clay, who is transported back to Frank’s childhood, becoming his own father as a young teenager.

Walking in his father’s shoes--a circumstance that leads to a number of comic and soulful encounters--Clay gains an understanding of his father’s family, his own mother (Barbara Eve Harris) and sister (Shadia Simmons), and of himself. That understanding heals long-standing emotional scars and marks a joyful new closeness for the entire family.

Gary Gelt wrote the screenplay; Vic Sarin directed.

* “In His Father’s Shoes” airs at 8 p.m. Sunday on Showtime. The network has rated it TV-G (suitable for all ages).