Daddy's Home Movie Review

It's dad versus stepdad in this hard-to-digest comedy that sees Will Ferrell take on Mark Wahlberg in a battle for the respect of their children.

Genre: Comedy

Director: Sean Anders

Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Scarlett Estevez, Owen Vaccaro, Thomas Haden Church, Bobby Cannavale, Bill Burr, Jamie Denbo & Hannibal Buress. 

Run Time: 96 min.

US Release: 25 December 2015

UK Release:  26 December 2015

German Release: 21 January 2016

January started great here in Germany with a couple of solid Oscar contenders released, but it seems that it is taking a turn for the worse. Coming out of the premiere for Daddy’s Home, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a comedy gone terribly wrong, and while there had been some genuine laughs, the overall film was actually garbage. Sean Anders, director of Horrible Bosses 2 and That’s My Boy, is the regisseur of this train-wreck of a comedy that not even Ferrell and Wahlberg combined can save.

To be absolutely honest, I am not the biggest fan of Ferrell comedies as of late. Get Hard was mediocre, Anchorman 2 was a personal letdown, and The Campaign just sucked, but last time I saw Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg in The Other Guys, it made me laugh non-stop from beginning to end. So when I saw the trailer for this film, I crossed my fingers and hoped for a major mismatch in marketing.

“Omega-male” and gentle radio host Brad Whitaker (Ferrell) is married to Sara (Cardellini) and is stepfather to her two children, Dylan (Vaccaro) and Megan (Estevez). Despite doing his best, the kids simply won’t accept Brad as the new father figure; still, he hopes that at some point in time they’ll open up to him. That is, until Dusty (Wahlberg) hears of his ex-wife’s new husband and visits the family to break Brad’s bonding efforts with the children. Thus begins a “turf” war for the children's approval, much to the dismay of Sara.

As a comedy, Daddy's Home did manage to get a few chuckles out of me here and there, so it didn’t fall flat completely. Sadly, it did make me question what Anders was trying to accomplish with this film. The story is inspired by real-life issues that patchwork families need to go through regularly, especially with two or more father figures in the picture. The big problem the screenplay is suffering from is that it turns those problems into macabre scenarios that are not funny but rather hard to look at.

Then there is the issue of the PG-13 rating. I simply can’t comprehend why the director and producers would go for a family-friendly rating if they are clearly trying to be offensive by crossing over to genitalia humour. Daddy’s Home is constantly struggling with those boundaries and clearly doesn’t know what kind of flick it wants to be.

The main reason why I disliked this comedy, though, is because it wasted opportunities that could have been really funny, instead going for absurd scenarios at the cost of losing credibility.

As I said before, there are aspects in this comedy that do work, such as Brad’s working environment. His boss, played by Thomas Haden Church, is an obvious scumbag, but their conversations are genuinely funny conversations co-workers could have in an office.

The biggest issue it suffers from is that none of the characters in it are actually likeable - no matter how much they try. All of them, including the children, are either pretentious pricks, sexual predators or simply unfriendly assholes that pretend to be sweet, kind or cute. This makes it really hard for the audience to root for either of the two lead actors.

Will Ferrell & Mark Wahlberg are clearly having a good time in this flick, but even their greatest efforts don’t help save this borderline raunchy comedy. The chemistry they had in The Other Guys is present, yet no matter how funny or likeable they portrayed their respective personas, I just wanted to bash both their faces in by the end.

Linda Cardellini, who plays Ferrell’s wife and Wahlberg’s ex, is the most unlikeable of them all, simply because she did not act like a person. Her perspective plus side-switching are used to suit the situation, creating further conflict between Dusty and Brad. It is inexcusable how she behaves, and I was hoping that both guys would leave her once the film finished.

As for the children: as stated above, no matter how cute or sweet they look and behave, in the end they are mean and foul-mouthed brats. If I had been Brat, I wouldn’t have put up with any of the crap those kids pull on him.

This comedy has a bright and glossy look, which creates a synthetic feel. The effects and stunts, such as the motorcycle scene that is shown in the trailers, are bad plus the obvious use of computer imagery ruins any funny segment.

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Verdict: Daddy’s Home is a comedy with a lot of issues, and I can’t recommend it. The characters are unpleasant, and the exaggerated recreations of family complications, enhanced by the synthetic-looking cinematography and bad use of effects, cut any ties to reality. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg do their best to rectify the messy script, but not even their chemistry is able to save this train-wreck. It still does have some redeemable aspects and made the audience in my auditorium laugh now and then, which is why I will give Daddy’s Home a score of 4.0 out of 10.

What is your opinion of Daddy’s Home? Did you like it, or rather like me felt indifferent to it? Leave a comment below, and if you liked this review, please share & don’t forget to leave a like. I’ll post my review for the Point Break remake tomorrow, so look out for it!