Ryan Reynolds Always Plays a Dad

Recently, photographers caught Ryan Reynolds in character a dad on the set of his new film, Woman in Gold, in which he plays an attorney for Helen Mirren’s character and a dad to his and costar Katie Holmes’ young brood. Now it really doesn’t matter what movie role Reynolds takes on because in my, and I'm sure many others', heart of hearts he will always be Van Wilder. But has anyone else noticed that he continues to play super fatherly characters? Sure, he looks a wee bit dorky with his wired spectacles, tucked in shirt, and khakis, but he’s still got his cut bod (as seen in The Proposal) and devilishly handsome looks (as seen everywhere and on Blake Lively’s arm) shining through. His muscles are definitely still in fine use pushing that baby stroller along with Holmes and their faux family on set.

Just check out Reynolds’ film oeuvre. Many of his roles casts him as a father or father like-figure, because if he’s not the divorced dad, raising Abigail Breslin in Definitely, Maybe, he’s the veteran waiter lecturing Justin Long in Waiting… Maybe Reynolds just has that dad demeanor. Obviously, now we'll all trust him when he’s teaching life lessons or raising a brood in real life. He'll be perfect at the punny dad jokes, driver's ed, and grill manning that will come with the job, too.

In recognition of his fatherly work, here are five lessons we learned from movie dad Ryan Reynolds.

How to Tell a Great Bedtime Story as seen in Definitely, Maybe

Reynolds plays Abigail Breslin’s father in this rom-com with a twist, where Reynolds puts his daughter to bed by telling her the story of how her parents met. But rather than a meet-cute or a dressed up fairy tale, this dad makes it a mystery story where his daughter has to solve which girl in a line of romances is her mother. That sounds odd, but hey, it promotes critical thinking and fun bonding time with each other. Good job, dad!

How to Change Diapers as seen in The Change-Up

Fine, this is a little bit of a cheat as Ryan Reynolds’ character is technically played by Jason Bateman, but hey, it’s still a dad role! In a very graphic, pretty NSFW scene, Reynolds’/Bateman's character has no idea how to change the diapers when his twin babies need it. It’s funny, gross, and is also a lesson well learned from our dear dad Ryan Reynolds (via Bateman).

How Not to Flip an Old House as seen in Amityville Horror

Step-dad Ryan Reynolds and his wife and her kids from a previous marriage move into an old home in Amityville, N.Y. Much to their surprise, the house is haunted, and even worst, the step-dad gets possessed. Thank you for this lecture in real estate and home improvement.

How to Live a Life on a Whim in the Chaos Theory

It all goes to crap pretty quickly in this movie, but dad Ryan Reynolds does his best to do the right thing at least. Sure he learns that he might be living life too much on the straight and narrow, but it’s a good lesson to pass on to his kids that sometimes you need to loosen up a bit.

How to have fun while working as seen in Waiting… and Adventureland

While not technically an official “dad” role, Reynolds’ characters in Waiting… and Adventureland certainly have a dad authority about them. He takes an impressionable youth under his wing and shows them the ropes of making a living while also trying to make life meaningful. It's the ultimate life lesson via dad-like Reynolds.

Thanks for all the lessons, Ryan. When and if you and Blake Lively ever have kids, the world expects you to do a perfect job.