Step-dad and biological dad’s one-up-manship brings laughs and life lessons in this family comedy film. Daddys Home – movie review…
Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell) is married to Sara (Linda Cardellini), who has 2 kids from a previous marriage to Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) who left soon after the birth of the second child. Will is ever longing to become a father and has always wanted to have his child too, unfortunately after an accident at the dentist’s, he is sterile.
Eventhough the kids convey hostility towards their step dad, but Will just sees the bright side to everything and keeps trying to win them over.
Mild-mannered radio executive Brad, working at a smooth jazz radio station, struggles to be a good stepfather for his wife Sara’s children Megan and Dylan.
While the girl hasn’t yet accepted him as a dad which is evident in a family sketch drawn by her, with Brad shown ‘little’ away from the mom and her two kids, shown with poop on his head), the older Dylan seeks to confide in his step dae, to which Brad reacts as if having achieved a milestone in the father-son relationship.
This is when their biological father Dusty arrives to stay for a week with the family. Then begins the real comedy about a rivalry between a step father and a biological father.
Brad finds himself having to play childish games of one-upmanship when his wife’s macho ex-husband comes to live with them.
The mild mannered stepfather Will Ferrell is pushed to his breaking point with frequent intimidation by his wife’s ex-husband. Due to Mark’s coming back into his life. And he still tries to get his stepchildren to love him. Despite the kids trying to choose whom to side with and love.
Brad gathers guts, but being the mild-mannered he restrains himself quite well, yet he gets the power to challenge Dusty during one occasion with his war cry, ‘Eat my dust Dusty!’
There are several humourous situations like Dusty getting a dog for the kids and finishing a treehouse which Brad could not work on. Brad would not want to lag behind with his attempts to win over the kids by celebrating Christmas in the middle of the year, trying to skate board, and then even bringing a pony for his little daughter in response to the dog brought in by Dusty.
Other characters of Griff – a handyman who accuses Brad of racism under the stupidest of circumstances (courtesy Dusty) and Brad’s boss at the Radio Station played by Thomas Haden Church are particularly hysterical. It is his boss who comes up with imaginative unrelated stories for every of Brad’s circumstances. And then there is the fertility doctor (brought in again, courtesy Dusty) who tries to help both Brad and Sara conceive a child of their own.
Daddy’s Home has a good balance of comedy and fun with life’s learnings from Will Ferrel and Mark Wahlberg’s machismo which impresses on the screen.
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Cast:
Will Ferrell as Brad Whitaker
Mark Wahlberg as Dusty
Linda Cardellini as Sara Whitaker
Scarlett Estevez as Megan Mayron
Owen Vaccaro as Dylan Mayron
Hannibal Buress as Griff
Paul Scheer as the DJ
Bobby Cannavale as the fertility doctor
Thomas Haden Church as Leo
Billy Slaughter as Squidward
Jamie Denbo as Doris
Bill Burr as Jerry
Credits:
Production Companies – Red Granite Pictures, Gary Sanchez Productions
Directed by Sean Anders
Produced by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy, John Morris
Screenplay by Brian Burns, Sean Anders, John Morris
Story by Brian Burns
Music by Michael Andrews
Cinematography – Julio Macat
Edited by Eric Kissack, Brad Wilhite
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Daddy’s Home, movie review
