background: Bruno Bettelheim, in his book The Uses of Enchantment:
The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (New York: Alfred A. Knopf,
1976, p.134) discusses stories in which the child is in control, a reversal
of the roles of guardian and guarded. These are stories for adults, not children,
he notes; the child enjoys such stories, but distrust of parent(s) on whom the
child must rely can result. Still (my opinion), they make for a powerful
cinematic message: children are not always wimps in need of 24-hour protection.
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Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies (film, 1973)
Rodger Walford (Eric Shea) is stunt flyer Ace Eli's (Cliff Robertson) 11 year old
son, who is his sidekick, especially after the death of Rodger's mother. As noted
in the Wikipedia page for this film, "While Eli is the parent, his young son
is often the more mature."
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Bosch & Rockit [aka Ocean Boy] (film, 2021)
The early relationship between Bosch (Luke Hemsworth) and his naïve,
totally-trusting, believing-anything-his-Dad-tells-him son, Rockit (Rasmus King) is gradually
reversed as the boy becomes more worldly-wise when his Dad turns out not to be the exotic
character he claimed to be. When the Dad's health and ability to support himself also
begin to falter, Rockit steps up, not only cooking for the both of them ("I can't
stand your stew any more, so I'm making our dinner" [a paraphrase]), but also providing
financially by getting a legitimate job, and ultimately helping his father get one, too.
The entire film is set against a backdrop of surfing, which obviously is a metaphor for
Rockit becoming sexual in the world (i.e., growing up), but that's another story.
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The Champ (film, 1931)
Dink (Jackie Cooper) takes care of his drunken father Champ (Wallace Beery).
The Champ (film, 1979)
In the remake of the 1931 classic, T.J. (Ricky Schroder) takes charge of
his father Billy (Jon Voight).
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The Clown (film, 1952)
The parallels between this film and The Champ (1931) are inescapable,
even down to the name of the Clown's son -- Dink. Dodo Delwyn (Red Skelton)
is a former Ziegfeld star whose drinking has all but ruined his career.
Without the intervention of his son, Dink (Tim Considine) he would never
attempt his comeback -- not to a fighting ring, as in The Champ, but
to a coast-to-coast TV show. A sign of the times.
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Flight of the Navigator (film, 1986)
David Freeman (Joey Cramer) is mysteriously transported forward in time, where
non-helpful scientists prefer to study him, rather than let him live free.
His salvation comes in the form of a robot, who delivers him to a spacecraft
where the pilot explains that the boy's mind contains the information needed
for the completion of the spacecraft's mission. Unfortunately, David also finds
out that his return to his original time and home is risky, and he could be
vaporized in the attempt, and if he wants to try, he must do so alone. Well,
how do you think it ends? (Hint: It's a Disney film.)
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How to Train Your Dragon (animated film, 2010)
from the IMDb Plot Summaries:
"Long ago up North on the Island of Berk, the young Viking, Hiccup, wants
to join his town's fight against the dragons that continually raid their
town. However, his macho father and village leader, Stoik the Vast, will not
allow his small, clumsy, but inventive son to do so. Regardless, Hiccup
ventures out into battle and downs a mysterious Night Fury dragon with his
invention, but can't bring himself to kill it. Instead, Hiccup and the dragon,
whom he dubs Toothless, begin a friendship that would open up both their
worlds as the observant boy learns that his people have misjudged the
species. But even as the two each take flight in their own way, they find
that they must fight the destructive ignorance plaguing their world."
--written by Kenneth Chisholm for IMDb
This film, animated and released to theatres and home video in 3D, is
comparable to the Wickie films (see below), not only in that the central
character is a clever, but somewhat awkward boy just about to hit
puberty, but also that both films are set in long-ago Viking society.
Yes, of course there's a sequel.
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The Impossible (film, 2012)
Maria (Naomi Watts) and her son Lucas (Tom Holland) are separated
from the rest of the family by the Tsunami of 2004 in Thailand.
As Maria (a doctor) loses confidence and strength, Lucas takes over.
Damon Wise, in The Guardian (London, 12 September 2012) wrote:
"As Maria, Watts is both brave and vulnerable, and her scenes with
the young Lucas (the excellent Tom Holland) are the film's best, with
adult and child now unexpected equals, the mother humbled, the son
rising to the challenge."
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Kapgang [Speed Walking] (film, 2014)
Martin Østergaard (Villads Bøye) is growing up in the weeks before
his confirmation (presumably at age 14). That is the entire plot of this
remarkable film, which, in unbelievably rich and subtle detail and
without judgment nor sentiment, covers virtually all the triumphs
and tribulations of adolescence. As the film begins in late-1970s
Denmark, Martin's mother has just died unexpectedly, and everyone
around him - especially his father, Hans (Anders W. Berthelsen) and
older brother Jens (Jens Malthe Næsby) - are useless basket
cases until Martin's measured and persistent care eventually brings
them back among the living. Martin has his own brief breakdown along
the way, in a powerful graveside scene in which one of his mates
comments offhand that he once heard that sometimes people are not
dead inside the coffin. Martin erupts in his sudden belief that his
mother is not dead after all. His strength of will in this scene only
underscores his attitude of independence in a community of rather weak,
mundane, predictable people inside and outside of his family.
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King of the Turf (film, 1939)
Goldie (Roger Daniel) is a runaway, and meets Jim Mason (Adolph Menjou)
whom he hopes can help him get a job working with horses, his greatest love.
Mason is a drunkard, however, since the death of one of his jockeys.
Goldie becomes a success himself as a jockey, and helps rehabilitate Mason
whom he later finds out is really his father.
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Marvin and Tige [Like Father and Son](film, 1982)
Marvin Stewart (John Cassavetes) finds Tige Jackson (Gibran Brown) about
to commit suicide because his mother has just died, and takes him in
temporarily to care for the boy. Marvin, sometimes drunk or sick, often needs
Tige to take care of him. Tige later develops pneumonia, and once again
needs Marvin's care.
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The Mosquito Coast (film, 1986)
Allie Fox (Harrison Ford) has grown fed up with consumerism and corporate control
of society, and takes his family to live in the jungle. Over time, his behaviour
becomes erratic and unpredictable, even going so far as to convince his family
that the United States has been destroyed. When his son, Charlie Fox (River
Phoenix) learns that his father was lying, and may be unstable, he gets the keys
to a jeep, and rallies his mother and the rest of the family to leave. Further
events (no spoiler here!) intervene to change the picture, but Charlie has
shown his determination and ability to take action.
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Un Pirata de Doce Años (film, 1971)
Erick Goldark (René Cardona III, aka Al Coster) is the 12-year-old pirate of the
title. He saves a group of shipwrecked sailors on an island, then later plays a key role in
foiling their enemy.
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Time Bandits (film, 1981)
Eleven-year-old Kevin (Craig Warnock) goes along with a group of
dwarves who have borrowed a time-travel map from their employer,
the Supreme Being. (Kevin: "You mean God?" Fidgit: "Well, we don't
know Him that well. We only work for Him.") The dwarves basically
bumble through the adventures. Kevin's ideas and solutions
repeatedly put the group on the right track and on to the next
adventures, finally reaching the goal of Kevin returning home.
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Voyagers! (NBC, 1982-1983)
Eleven-year-old Jeffrey Jones (Meeno Peluce) is listening to his relatives argue
about having to take care of him after his parents' sudden death, when time-traveling
Voyager Phineas Bogg (Jon-Erik Hexum) arrives in Jeffrey's bedroom due to his
malfunctioning navigation Omni, which is not supposed to take him beyond 1970.
In the confusion, caused in part by Jeffrey's enormous, protective dog,
Phineas loses his guide-book, and ends up taking Jeffrey back in time where they
are unsure of ever getting Jeffrey back to his home in 1982. Until they figure this
out, Jeffrey becomes a de-facto Voyager, and Bogg's inseparable friend. The Voyagers'
duty is to travel where history has gone wrong, and do whatever they can to
correct the problem. In each of the 20 episodes of the series, Bogg and Jeffrey
travel together to several different times, meeting famous people, changing their
costumes, and in general attempting to honor the Voyagers' code. Bogg is capable, but
without his guide-book is often clueless about what might be wrong at whatever
place they've 'dropped in' (which is usually the way they arrive in each new
location, having travelled through space as well as time). Jeffrey, on the other
hand, is brimming with knowledge of history, since his late father was a professor.
Virtually every story has elements of Bogg's bravery and strength, matched by
Jeffrey's knowledge and ingenuity. In many situations, Bogg would have been
unsuccessful - sometimes even dead! - without Jeffrey's help. From the Pilot to
the final episode they are equal partners, devoted to each other, and equally
dependent on each other for success, survival, and happiness.
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Wickie auf grosser Fahrt [Wickie and the Treasure of the Gods] (film, 2011)
Halvar (Waldemar Kobus), chief of the Viking village of Flake, orders his
child son, Wickie (pronounced "Vicky" in German, and played by Jonas Hämmerle)
to rob a caravan of knights. Wickie fails in the robbery, but comes away
with a mysterious book and a devious nemesis, Svenja (Valeria Eisenbart)
who turns out to be the daughter of Terrible Sven (Günther Kaufmann). Later,
Wickie figures out that the book shows the way to the Treasure of the Gods
(the Hammer of Thor), and Chief Halvar throws a party to announce his
intention to find the Treasure. Unfortunately, Halvar is abducted from the
party, so, according to tradition, Halvar's son Wickie must assume the
duties of Chief. Wickie's journey (the literal translation of the original
German title is "Wickie's Road Trip") leads him to the Treasure,
which is controlled by none other than Terrible Sven, and he must grab
the Hammer of Thor as well as rescue his father.
This film, shot and distributed in theatres and on Blu-ray in 3D, is part
of a series of films about the boy Wickie, based on a series of books by
Runer Jonsson (1916-2006), first published in Sweden between 1963 and
1994. According to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicke_Viking, Jonsson's
Vicke, son of Halvar, chief of the Viking village of Flake, is a boy of
about 10 who, unlike the other boys his age, indeed unlike most of the
villagers in Flake, has a sharp, imaginative mind which helps him find
solutions to the problems that beset him and his fellow Vikings.