Film

Like Father Like Son

Name: Like Father Like Son
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Released: 1987
Cast: Dudley Moore, Kirk Cameron, Margaret Colin, Catherine Hicks, Patrick O'Neal

Other titles called Like Father Like Son: the 2013 film.

A 1987 body-swap comedy where a distracted surgeon and his neglected teenage son accidentally exchange consciousnesses, forcing each to navigate the other's world. Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron play it broad and sincere in equal measure. It's the kind of film that uses premise-driven chaos to sketch a genuine point about empathy, wrapped in slapstick and '80s earnestness. Squarely for families or nostalgia seekers.

TMDb rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy 1980s body-swap farce built on physical mismatch and sheer comic awkwardness, where a fast-talking doctor is suddenly stuck inside a sulking teenager's life.

Skip it if the comedy is broad and dated in places, with a predictable run of mix-ups, and if you want sharp writing or real emotional texture you may find it thin.

What it asks of you: Ninety-six minutes of light, uncomplicated viewing; it moves briskly and asks you mainly to accept the premise and enjoy the cheerful chaos.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Big1988

Tom Hanks as a boy in a man's body; the same body-swap engine, but played with more warmth and genuine wonder. A masterclass in how to make the premise earn its emotional weight without losing the fun.

But Slightly sentimental, and the romance subplot feels like an obligation. Some scenes drag when they should move.

Vice Versa1988

Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage in an almost identical premise—father and son swap bodies—but with sharper writing and a darker edge. More interested in genuine resentment than cute misunderstandings.

But Dated '80s synth score and some scenes that haven't aged well. Meaner in tone than you might expect.

Freaky Friday2003

Mother and teenage daughter swap bodies. Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan genuinely inhabit each other's physicality, and the script understands that the real conflict is about being seen and heard, not just chaos.

But Disney sugar-coating. Some of the jokes land soft. If you need genuine bite, this smooths too many edges.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Like Father Like Son

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Nutty Professor1963

Both use physical transformation to explore identity and self-image, but Lewis's film asks what we hate about ourselves, while Moore's asks what we fail to see in others.

Jerry Lewis plays both the frumpy professor and his handsome alter ego. Body transformation as dark comedy, with Lewis's physical genius making it genuinely unsettling. The same DNA as Like Father Like Son, but twisted into something stranger and sadder—about self-loathing and reinvention, not understanding.

But Jerry Lewis's comedy style is not for everyone; some find him unbearable. Misogyny baked into the script. The transformation scenes are grotesque in ways that undercut the humor.

18 Again!1988

George Burns and Charlie Schlatter. A grandfather magically becomes young again. Gentler and more reflective than you'd expect, genuinely interested in aging and mortality underneath the comedy.

But Earnestness borders on maudlin. The broad comedy sits uneasily next to the melancholy. Feels longer than its runtime.

Just One of the Guys1985

Joyce Hyser disguises herself as a boy to prove girls belong in journalism. A body-swap cousin that's actually about identity and assumption. Funnier and stranger than it should be.

But Low budget shows. Some awkward gender comedy that dates badly. The pacing stutters in the middle act.

Midnight Madness1980

Joel Schumacher directed this pre-SNL ensemble comedy about a scavenger hunt. Chaotic, energetic, packed with young talent. Taps into the same manic '80s energy but lets it breathe.

But Plot is thin. The humor is scattershot. Feels like an extended sketch show rather than a film. Does not cohere.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman1981

Lily Tomlin shrinks. It's funny but also strange and genuinely interested in how the world changes when your perspective shifts. Joel Schumacher again, but weirder.

But Tonal whiplash between comedy and something darker. Uneven. Some scenes feel incomplete, like Schumacher had to compromise.

All of Me1984

Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin; she's a dying woman whose soul enters his body. The physical comedy is sublime, and there's real sadness underneath. Martin plays split consciousness like he's possessed.

But The romance is predictable. Tomlin's character gets sidelined by the third act. Some gags repeat until they flatten.

A Kid in King Arthur's Court1995

Alessio Escárbida travels back to medieval times. Cheesy and earnest. If you've exhausted everything else and want pure, uncomplicated time-travel adventure for the family.

But Aggressively generic. Acting ranges from serviceable to wooden. The script feels assembled from committee notes. Forgettable almost as you watch it.

Freaky2020

Same structure, completely different register. Where Like Father Like Son uses swapping to teach empathy through slapstick, Freaky uses it to force empathy through horror. Both ask: what happens when you're trapped in someone else's life?

A serial killer and a teenage girl swap bodies for one night. It's a body-swap film that takes the premise seriously—genuinely tense and disturbing, then funny, then touching. Vince Vaughn against type as a trapped killer in a girl's body, forced into her perspective.

But Slasher violence and gore. The tonal shifts are jarring—it doesn't settle. Aims for scary and sweet at once, which doesn't always work.

Seconds1966

Both films are about getting a second chance at yourself—becoming who you think you should be. Like Father Like Son finds warmth in that idea; Seconds finds only dread.

John Randolph becomes Rock Hudson through a sinister procedure. A paranoid, gorgeous black-and-white thriller about identity and reinvention. Body transformation as existential nightmare, not comedy. James Whale's last film—desperate, strange, weirdly moving.

But Slow burn, sometimes glacial. Bleak and unsettling throughout. No comfort, no resolution. Looks like a spy film but feels like a fever dream.