Warning! This post contains spoilers for Father Figures.
Owen Wilson and Ed Helms' 2017 comedyFather Figureswas added to Netflix in November 2024, andthe movie’s ending is full of a number of shocking twists and turns.Father Figures’castis star-studded, although the movie did not perform well when it was released seven years ago. Even now,Father Figureshas a 17% critic score and 26% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, there is a case to be made thatFather Figuresis underrated, not only because of the cast but also because of the movie’s themes. While it may not rank amongOwen Wilson’s best movies,Father Figureshas heart, which the movie’s conclusion confirms. In fact,the ending ofFather Figuresis arguably where the movie shines the most.
Kyle And Peter Don’t Learn Who Their True Father Was (& Their Mother Never Knew)
After Meeting A Number Of Potential Fathers, Kyle And Peter Still Don’t Know Who Their Father Was
Father Figuresbegins with adult twin brothers Kyle (Owen Wilson) and Peter (Ed Helms) discovering that their mother lied to them about who their father was. Since they were children, Peter and Kyle’s mother, Helen (Glenn Close), had told the boys that their father was an orphan, had come from England, and died of colon cancer. In the end, all of these ended up being untrue—including him getting colon cancer, which was the entire reason Peter studied to become a physician.
The man their mother had identified as their father hadn’t even been with Helen at all; he was just a friend from college.This earth-shattering discovery leads Kyle and Peter on a cross-country hunt for their real father, which ends up proving quite difficult, as Helen had evidently had a number of partners all around the time the boys were conceived. During this quest for the truth, Kyle and Peter encounter multiple men who could be their father, including Terry Bradshaw (playing himself), Roland Hunt (J.K. Simmons), and Dr. Walter Tinkler (Christopher Walken).
Kyle and Peter still don’t know who their father is by the end ofFather Figures.
After their exhaustive search, Kyle and Peter still don’t know who their father is by the end ofFather Figures. That isn’t because they can’t discern whether the men they meet are their biological father, though. On the contrary, the twins realize none of them could be their father for various reasons, ranging from the men being across the world when the twins were conceived to having been celibate.The real reason Kyle and Peter don’t know who their father is comes down to a much greater secret.
Father Figures' Ending Reveals Kyle And Peter Were Adopted
In A Shocking Plot Twist, Kyle And Peter Discover Their Mother Adopted Them
Although the major mystery ofFather Figuresseems to be who the twins' father is,the end ofFather Figuresreveals that there is a much more significant mystery and secret at the heart of this story. Specifically, Kyle and Peter learn that they were adopted by their mother, Helen, and that their biological mother died in childbirth. This is why even Helen doesn’t know who the boys' father really is.
Kyle and Peter learn that they were adopted by their mother, Helen.
Helen reveals that Kyle and Peter’s birth mother was a teenage girl in a difficult situation. She never revealed who the father of her babies was, so that information effectively died with her. When Helen adopted the boys, she decided to keep this history a secret.It was only because Peter became so intent on learning the identity of his father that this much more shocking secret was revealed.
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How The Search For Their Father Heals Peter And Kyle’s Relationship
The Brothers Previously Hated One Another
At the beginning ofFather Figures, Kyle and Peter have a terrible relationship. Peter is resentful of Kyle and the beautiful life he seems to have living with his wife Kaylani in Hawaii, and Kyle feeds into these feelings by intentionally sidelining Peter in the family. This is most obvious when Kyle announces that Kaylani is pregnant and tells Helen that she will"finally"be a grandmother, even though Peter has a teenage son. Surprisingly,despite Kyle and Peter failing to identify who their father is, this journey brings them closer together than ever.
Kyle and Peter remain annoyed with one another and very competitive throughout the first half ofFather Figures, which culminates in a full-blown fist fight between the two. However, when a train smashes into their car, nearly killing Kyle, the brothers realize that they really do love each other. Their journey of self-discovery also helps them realize how much they have in common, and they end up relying on one another. By the end of the movie, Kyle and Peter have clearly become genuine friends.
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What Happens With Kyle & Peter’s Romances After Father Figures
Peter And Kyle Both Have Major Relationship Updates
As mentioned, at the beginning ofFather Figures, Kyle announces that Kaylani is pregnant. By the end of the movie, Kaylani has given birth to twin girls, and Kaylani and Kyle remain blissfully happy in their marriage.Peter’s relationship status has undergone a much more significant change by the end ofFather Figures.
Although Peter’s ex-wife is never shown on-screen, it’s clear that the divorce devastated Peter. He had evidently never been with another woman before her, and in the years since the divorce, Peter hadn’t dated anyone. This changed when Peter met Sarah on his journey, and the two slept together. Horrifyingly, though, the next day, Sarah and Peter learned that they might actually be siblings.
Luckily, Peter and Sarah were not siblings after all, andat the end ofFather Figures, Sarah and Peter are confirmed to still be together a year later. This is a major update to Peter’s story. He had clearly struggled for years to let go of the pain over the end of his marriage and gain the confidence he needed to date again, and that finally changed when he met Sarah.
Kyle’s Success With His “Universe” App Explained
Kyle Was Secretly Having Issues At Work Throughout Father Figures
Another long-running plotline inFather Figureswas Kyle’s complicated job history. Evidently, Kyle had recently been fired from his modeling job and was being replaced by a monkey. Because of that,Kyle is trying to figure out the next steps in his career throughout the movie. TheFather Figuresending reveals that this ultimately worked out for the best.
With the hitchhiker Peter and Kyle had met on their journey, Kyle creates an app through which ‘the universe’ calls users and delivers empowering messages. This is consistent with Kyle’s characterization throughout the movie as a person who believes that the universe is a guiding force. Although Peter frequently mocks Kyle for his beliefs, in the end, this app was Kyle’s key to success.Father Figuresmay have received low ratings when it debuted in 2017, but the complex, touching ending to the movie reveals that this story has its merits.
Father Figures
Cast
Father Figures is a comedy film released in 2017, starring Owen Wilson and Ed Helms as twin brothers who discover their mother has been lying about their father’s identity for years. Directed by Lawrence Sher, the film follows the siblings on a road trip to find their real father, encountering various eccentric characters and situations along the way. The ensemble cast includes Glenn Close, J.K. Simmons, and Christopher Walken.
