Will Ferrell plays a stepfather competing for the love of his family against a cool biological father out to ruin him, in “Daddy’s Home”. Brad Witaker (Will Ferrell) is a mild-mannered radio executive striving to become the best stepdad to his wife’s (Linda Cardellini) two children. Things start to turn in Brad’s favor until complications ensue when their freewheeling and freeloading real father Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) arrives after walking out on his children years prior. This new development forces Brad to compete for the affection of the kids. Brad’s life now becomes an up at dawn challenge to defeat Dusty and show his children who the real father is. Written and directed by Sean Anders, “Daddy’s Home” also includes Hanibal Burress, Thomas Hayden Church, and Bobby Cannavale rounding out a hard-hitting lineup of comedic A-listers.
Ferrell and Wahlberg proved in 2010’s “The Other Guys” that they make a hilarious duo, unfortunatly for their latest film the two’s comedic timing is laid to rest with some deadbeat material. “Daddy’Home” is not only one of the most morally bankrupt movies that I have seen this year, it is also one of the worst ensemble of unlikeable characters that I have come across in some time. I knew going into the film how childish the back-and-forth one upmanship of Ferrell and Wahlberg were going to be. What did surprise me was just how little of depth and heart that their two characters portray. Ferrell is figuratively playing the same character he did in his other 2015 feature “Get Hard”. He’s a coward, soft with the children, and everything wrong with parents who let their children run free without consequences. Wahlberg’s character didn’t win me over from the get-go. I will get to the source material in a second, but the character of Dusty walks out on his children twice and yet we are supposed to be rooting for this guy because he is the edgier and cool one? His character resorts to bribing the children, as well as sneaking into Brad’s house and literally overtaking the day-to-day operations. These two are nothing however when compared to the supporting characters in the family who made me want to walk out of the theater. The two children (Played by Owen Vaccaro and Scarlett Estevez) are detestable even by child actor standards. They are rude, foul-mouthed little devils and were supposed to appreciate them because humor. Several times throughout the film, I prayed that one of these man-children would break down and give them a spanking. Cardellini is also a waste, as just another stereotype of a comedy genre wife. She literally stands by and watches her husband run out of his home, while preaching how great it is to have a real man like Dusty around the house. She defies Brad every chance she gets, and it’s hard to believe how great this family is to our main character, or why he would even want to hold on.
As for the material, there isn’t much to laugh at or appreciate here. It’s true that I did laugh during a couple of scenes, most notably a sperm clinic scene in which Ferrell refers to Wahlberg’s genitals as “James and the Giant Peach”, but most of it is pretty similar to other movies that did it better. One film that this movie reminded me of from it’s structure was that of 1998’s “Meet The Parents”. Confused? Let me explain. A new man in a woman’s life is trying to win over the important family in her life, when out of nowhere he meets an important figure from her past keen on ruining that man’s happy existence. I hope you’re still with me because it’s about to get very eerie. During the beginning of the third act, the man is kicked out of the house and decides to call it off with his wife. The important figure is resented finally by the woman after supporting his crazy behavior during the entirety of his visit. The new man hears about how unhappy everyone is with that important figure, so it gives him a moment of clarity to come home and fix everything. Most people will think I just described the premise to “Meet The Parents”, but they would be wrong. I am actually discussing the lack of original concepts in “Daddy’s Home”. It’s a predictable mush of a mess that never elevates it’s comedy beyond the normal tongue-and-cheek material that we are familiar with in Ferrell’s rudely obnoxious characters.
As for things I did enjoy about the film, the movie is a safe enough sit at 90 minutes even. Thankfully this isn’t a film like “Sisters” that just didn’t know when to quit. It got in, got out, and left very little lasting effect on my psyche. If you are forced to watch this film, make sure you stay till the very end. The best part of the film comes in the final five minutes when Wahlberg meets an imposing figure to his big-build stature. There is a great cameo that you wish would’ve made the film ten minutes longer to see the magic they would’ve created. Hell, by the end of the movie I was wishing that this was the direction they would’ve went, and left Ferrell out of the equation all together. There are also some CGI effects in the film that while visually awful, they are laughable by their cheap look in design when compared with the lighting and shadows around them. I suppose it’s not a real positive, but it gave me the biggest laughs of the film, so why not mention it?
“Daddy’s Home” is an exercise in moral tardiness. There’s enough of a promising scenario in the film’s plot, but it’s predictable and often formulaic material left this offering easily forgettable in the string of solid film offerings this holiday season. The movie (like it’s child cast) seeks a guardian to bring it along subtly, but sadly this is one home that Daddy never returns home to.
4/10