The dad who wasn't there clichè

I know that many fathers aren't "in the picture" in their kids lives but the way it plays out in movies is always the same. The audience is always introduced to this relationship when the dad either calls the kid on their birthday and is too late or forgets to call completely. The next time the relationship is addressed is when father and child are on screen together for the first time. If it's a boy, then dad was supposed to come to the boy's ball game but was too late. If it's a girl then dad brings her an age inappropriate gift. In this case the daughter is like 16 and he brings her a purple bike with a bell. Seriously? Then sometimes when the child is a young adult or older, and dad wants to reconnect, the child says it's too late. I've only made it through about 30 minutes of this movie so I'm not sure about the last one. How lazy can writing get?