Daddy’s Home, 2015.
Directed by Sean Anders.
Starring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Hannibal Buress, Owen Vaccaro, Scarlett Estevez, and Thomas Haden Church.
SYNOPSIS:
A mild-mannered radio executive strives to become the best stepdad to his wife’s two children, but complications ensue when their freewheeling and freeloading real father arrives, forcing him to compete for the affection of the kids.
I imagine many common moviegoers actually have a great deal of enthusiasm for Daddy’s Home, specifically for the fact that it reunites the riotous duo of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg from The Other Guys; a movie so ridiculous you can still find it being quoted out in public or on message boards. It’s only around five years old, but if anything, the fondness of that film has increased over time to the point where Ferrell and Wahlberg on the same poster is probably enough to guarantee a profit.
Well, I’m here to tell you to level your expectations, but don’t mistake that for me saying there’s nothing to love in Daddy’s Home. Cutting right to it, this movie simply is not as funny as their first collaboration, with the most glaring factor being that this film is not also directed by Adam McKay (he recently helmed The Big Short which was released in theaters earlier in the month). So what we have here is Sean Anders (Horrible Bosses 2) steering the ship, and if you’re familiar at all with his style you can already guess that some of this movie is unnecessarily crude, but definitely not without parts that are a hoot to behold.
The central theme of pitting a stepfather and biological father against one another to fight for the affection of the children of the woman they both have feelings for already strikes as distastefully making light of a very serious subject, but considering that the movie follows through on the most basic narrative with a fitting ending, even if wholly conventional, offsets this. What I don’t understand is how adopting a diseased, rabid, filthy ass looking dog and naming him tumor is supposed to generate a laugh, or by having that same canine dry hump a Mrs. Santa Claus decoration. Sometimes the humor just gets too crude here, not jiving with the established tone. The daughter even has drawings of Ferrell getting stabbed in the head! These children need a freaking psychiatrist.
Thankfully, Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg still maintain great chemistry with one another, even if the characters they are playing literally have the same personality traits of their roles in The Other Guys. Although I suppose if you have been tired of the Will Ferrell routine for quite some time now, this film will do nothing to change your mind. Wahlberg however is still feeling pretty fresh as he continues to dip further into comedic performances. There is an interview online with him where he mentions that his approach to characters and scenes of comedies are no different than his preparation for action and drama; he’s essentially out to make the moment feel as real as possible, and that straightfaced, super serious mentality is often the very thing making him shine in these movies.
The actors can’t be faulted; the movie just isn’t very memorable outside of a few key moments (the celebrity cameo in the ending scene is one of the highlights of the film, and to be honest, if this particular character was more relevant to the story, it could have done wonders in making the fireworks between Farrell and Wahlberg feel like less of a retread). The trailer is pretty much the poster-child for comedies that show you every major gag the movie has to offer.
The most hilariously entertaining character in the film though isn’t played by Will Ferrell or Mark Wahlberg, but Hannibal Buress’ repair-man that freeloads off the family, interrupting every conversation at the most inopportune time with the most random dialogue. Thomas Haden Church is also a trip, playing Will Ferrell’s boss, constantly giving him relationship advice in the form of wildly sexually inappropriate stories that make absolutely no sense, but still, it’s Buress that people will remember most from Daddy’s Home. Give him more roles.
Releasing on Christmas Day nearly everywhere, Daddy’s Home is a good choice for families to see over the holidays, provided they have already seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and have children not mature/old enough to follow along with the onslaught of Oscar season films dropping that same day. It’s cliché, predictable, and sometimes a little off-putting, but the gist of it is a decent, crowd-pleasing comedy. I also don’t expect this to be the last time we see Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg teaming up to make our sides hurt.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder – An aficionado of film, wrestling, and gaming. Follow me on Twitter or friend me on Facebook
Originally published December 18, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
