''Billboard Dad'' is a 1998 American

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Alan Metter Alan Dennis Metter (December 19, 1942 – June 7, 2020) was an American film director whose most notable credits include ''Back to School'' starring Rodney Dangerfield, and ''Girls Just Want to Have Fun'' with Sarah Jessica Parker. He also produ ...

starring

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986), also known as the Olsen twins as a duo, are American fashion designers and former actresses. The twins made their acting debut as infants playing Michelle Tanner on the television s ...

. It was produced by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

in collaboration with Dualstar Productions and Tapestry Films (now Screendoor).

Plot

Set in Los Angeles, this film revolves around Emily Tyler, a 12-year-old surfer-girl, and her 12-year-old twin sister, Tess, a member of a high-diving team. The movie follows the two sisters as they try various strategies to get their widower father, Max (who is a talented artist and sculptor), a girlfriend. After their first attempts end in failure, Tess and Emily team up with their friend Cody to paint an advertisement on a giant

billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

situated high above

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...

. Many women answer the advertisement through letters and through random chance, Max answers a letter submitted by a woman named Debbie. Debbie brings along her friend Brooke as a back-up in preparation for the former's date with Max. Brooke and Max coincidentally meet and take a liking to each other and Debbie agrees they should start dating. At first, Tess and Emily don't like Brooke's son, Ryan, a skater punk boy. But when an elaborate scheme by Max's business manager, Nigel, to break up the romantic relationship between Max and Brooke arises, Ryan and the girls learn to put aside their differences in order to foil the break-up plan.

Cast

Mary-Kate Olsen Mary-Kate Olsen (born June 13, 1986) is an American businesswoman, fashion designer, equestrian, and former actress. She began her acting career nine months after her birth, sharing the role of Michelle Tanner with her twin sister Ashley Olsen ...

as Teresa "Tess" Tyler *

Ashley Olsen Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986) is an American businesswoman and former actress. She began her acting career at the age of nine months, sharing the role of Michelle Tanner with her twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen in the television sitcom ...

as Emily Tyler *

Tom Amandes Tom Amandes (born March 9, 1959) is an American actor. His best-known role to date is that of Eliot Ness in the 1990s television series ''The Untouchables''; he also played Geena Davis' boyfriend in ''The Long Kiss Goodnight'', and Abraham Linco ...

as Maxwell Tyler *

Jessica Tuck Jessica Tuck is an American actress, best known for her performances on television as Megan Gordon Harrison on the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live'', Gillian Gray in the CBS drama series ''Judging Amy,'' and as Nan Flanagan on the HBO series ...

as Brooke Anders * Carl Banks as Nigel *

Ellen Ratner Ellen Ratner (born in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American news analyst who formerly appeared on the Fox News Channel and appeared on ''The Strategy Room'' and '' The Long and Short of It''. She is a retired White House correspondent and former bure ...

as Debbie * Sam Saletta as Ryan * Rafael Rojas III as Cody *

Troian Bellisario Troian Avery Bellisario (born October 28, 1985) is an American actress. A graduate of the University of Southern California, in 2010, she received her breakthrough role as Spencer Hastings in the Freeform drama series ''Pretty Little Liars'' ( ...

as Kristen Bulut * Angelique Parry as Julianne * Bailey Luetgert as Brad Thomas * Vincent Bowman as Buzz Cut *

Debra Christofferson Debra Christofferson (born January 9, 1963) is an American actress known for her roles in film and television. She is from Spearfish, South Dakota Spearfish ( Lakota: ''Hočhápȟe'') is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota. The population ...

as Autumn * Lisa Montgomery (actress), Lisa Montgomery as Enola Rubenstein *

Twink Caplan Twink Caplan (born December 25, 1947) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She is best known for her roles in the box office hits ''Clueless'' and the ''Look Who's Talking'' series. As a producer, her best-known projects were ''Clueles ...

as Chelsea Myers * Diana Morgan as Katherine Buxbaum * Teresa Caplan as Woman

Reception

The film was rated "Family-Approved" for all ages from the Dove Foundation.

References

External links

*
''Billboard Dad'' website

Review by Scott Weinberg
1998 films 1998 comedy films 1998 direct-to-video films 1990s children's comedy films American children's comedy films Direct-to-video comedy films Films about twin sisters Films directed by Alan Metter Films scored by David Michael Frank Warner Bros. direct-to-video films Films about father–daughter relationships Films set in Los Angeles 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{1990s-comedy-film-stub