What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThat's My Boy
Sean Anders · Film · 2012
If you loved That's My Boy, start with About a Boy (Nick Hornby, 2014) — a series on the same thread. Below: 3 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to That's My Boy across media.
What hooked you in That's My Boy was the chaotic collision between immature fathers and their sons navigating the burden of family legacy.
Books on the same thread
Not My Father's Son
Alan Cumming · Book · 2014
Shares a thread with That's My Boy: Father-son relationship.
If the complicated father-son dynamic in That's My Boy resonated with you, this memoir offers a deeper, real-world exploration of those same emotional scars and long-buried family secrets.
Sons and Lovers
D. H. Lawrence · Book · 2018
Explores: Oedipal complex, Class struggle, Marital disillusionment.
While That's My Boy plays these tensions for raunchy laughs, this classic explores the intense, often suffocating nature of parent-child relationships and the struggle to forge an independent adult identity.
Fun Home
Alison Bechdel · Book · 2007
Shares a thread with That's My Boy: Dysfunctional Family.
You will appreciate how this graphic novel mirrors the dysfunctional family history found in That's My Boy, trading the gross-out comedy for a poignant look at distant parental figures.
Series on the same thread
About a Boy
Nick Hornby · Series · 2014
Explores: Man-child, Unlikely friendship, Personal growth.
Much like the central man-child antics in That's My Boy, this series centers on the personal growth that occurs when a perpetually immature adult is forced into responsibility.
Sanford and Son
Norman Lear · Series · 1972
Explores: Generation Gap, Family Conflict, Get Rich Quick Schemes.
This sitcom serves as the blueprint for the bickering, generational friction seen in That's My Boy, capturing the hilarious yet frustrating reality of living with a cantankerous family member.
Moone Boy
Chris O'Dowd · Series · 2012
Explores: Imaginary Friends, 1980s Nostalgia, Small Town Life.
This show captures the coming-of-age spirit of That's My Boy through a nostalgic lens, focusing on the unique bond between a young boy and his unconventional guiding presence.
Married... with Children
Michael G. Moye · Series · 1987
Shares a thread with That's My Boy: Dysfunctional Family.
If you enjoyed the cynical, dysfunctional family portrayal in That's My Boy, you will find this classic sitcom perfectly captures the chaotic, underwhelming reality of domestic life and relationships.
Podcasts on the same thread
To Be A Boy
Podcast
Explores: raising boys, toxic masculinity, male friendships.
While That's My Boy uses comedy to address fatherhood, this podcast takes those same themes of masculinity and boyhood into a serious, thoughtful space for modern listeners to navigate.
Son of a Boy Dad
Podcast
Shares a thread with That's My Boy: generational differences.
This podcast mirrors the mentorship and self-discovery themes of That's My Boy, providing a comedic yet sincere look at how younger men navigate life by leaning on older figures.
Common questions
Is That's My Boy based on a true story?
The film That's My Boy is not documented as being based on a true story. It is a fictional narrative directed by Sean Anders that follows the reunion of a father and son after years of estrangement leading up to a wedding.
What is the premise of That's My Boy?
That's My Boy centers on Donny, who raised his son Todd as a single parent until his eighteenth birthday. After years of no contact, Donny reappears in Todd's life just before his wedding, causing significant disruption to Todd's world.
Who directed That's My Boy?
That's My Boy was directed by Sean Anders. The 2012 film focuses on the complicated relationship between a father and his son, Todd, following a long period of separation that ends right before Todd is scheduled to be married.
At what point in their lives do the characters reunite in That's My Boy?
In That's My Boy, the characters reunite when the son, Todd, is an adult preparing for his wedding. His father, Donny, resurfaces after years of absence, which results in the son's life being thrown into chaos shortly before the ceremony.