Camp de jour en folie

Wow. I can only assume that either Cuba Gooding Jr.'s agent is crazy. How else can an actor go from an Oscar-winning performance in "Jerry McGuire" to making crap like "Daddy Day Camp" in a decade? As the expression goes...."my how the mighty have fallen"! Here, you know you are in for trouble when this film is meant as a DVD sequel, of sorts, to an Eddie Murphy comedy--a man whose taste in film projects in recent years has also been baffling to say the least! Both men play the same character, Charlie Hinton, and I guess we are to assume he's been through a major accident and massive plastic surgery between films--only this would explain how much Charlie has changed!

So why would I choose to watch a film that from all appearances will be crap? After all, in addition to the down and out Gooding, the film also has the distinction of being on IMDb's Bottom 100 list--the 100 lowest rated films with at least 1500 ratings. Well, by this point, I've done over 8000 reviews and I've gotten bored. After watching a lot of foreign, art and independent films, I have recently decided to try watching the very worst there is to offer as a change of pace! I've already seen 41 of the 50 worst films from the Harry Medved book ("The Fifty Worst Films of All Time") and since the other 9 just don't seem to be available, I'm now working on IMDb's list. This particular film is about the 55th film from this list I have seen. Wow, am I a glutton for punishment!! But also, I like laughing at the ineptness of many of these films--they often really are unintentionally funny. Of course, occasionally they are just horrible...period.

The film begins with a Black actor and a White actor (just like in "Daddy Day Care"--just with different actors). They are trying to find the perfect summer day camp experience for their kids. They hit upon the lame idea of re-opening the camp that they'd gone to as kids--as it's bankrupt and COULD be run successfully if they use their "Daddy Day Care" method they used in the last film.

As for the camp, the kids and their parents are all kooky characters (or is it 'caricatures'?. Of course, things soon completely fall apart at first and things look dire for the future of the camp--especially when the folks at Camp Canola (who bear a lot of similarity to the folks at Cobra Kai) try to put them out of business and buy their land. But, given that this is a Hollywood film, you can safely assume that against all odds, everything will magically work out by the end of the movie. So what is their secret for making it all work? Charlie brings in his drill sergeant-like father, the Colonel, to help run things--since he is an organized man of action. And, of course, there is the obligatory sports competition between the nice camp and the evil one.

Overall, the film isn't quite as bad as you might think, though it's all formulaic and predictable and has every cliché this sort of film could possibly have. Now I am not saying it's good--but it's also pretty harmless entertainment for kids. However, I can't imagine teens or parents watching this poorly written fluff and actually enjoying it because the writing is amazingly broad and the humor awfully dim.

I saw this movie when they forced us to see it in summer camp. It was a lot worse than i expected. Most of the movie is 'pee' jokes and shallow kid humor. It doesn't help that the acting is terrible, and even though the movie is short, it feels as if you have been tourtered for days. If you even want to think of getting this movie for your kids, put it down and get the billionth season of spongebob. So if you want a horribly made summer movie that should have won the razzie award for best picture, go ahead and see this movie. If you want a good movie go see juno or ratatouille for the kiddies. Well i've hope i got my point across, do not see this movie. Bye.

Really, I'm only commenting because the original "most useful" comment was idiotic, and praised the movie. Upon seeing the case for the movie, I realized that Eddie Murphy was not in the movie. I turned the case around, and discovered that the same character was being played by another actor; an actor who shouldn't be in terrible sequels, playing an already well-known actors character, only a few years after the original had come out. The film itself delivers a lack-luster storyline and secondhand laughs. The acting isn't so great and the believability of the entire thing is low, much unlike most of the first movie. I'm going to have to say, for Oscar-winning Cuba Gooding Jr. to take a role such as this, he may have risked his entire career's great overview. The original itself wasn't exactly sequel prone, but at least it was watchable.

This is my first comment on IMDb, because i am not very good in English. But seeing that this movie was so underrated, i cant resist to write review. This is good kid-movie! It kinda remind me my childhood. Kid's acting was not annoying, and directing - not boring. Storyline - simple, but not crazy unbelievable. Jokes makes me smile, but not laugh of course, i am probably too old for this humor :) But kids may like it very much. And most important, movie is not stupid and has some moral thoughts.

It is definitely NOT 2nd worst movie in history! I see A LOT of movies every day and to half of them i am not paying attention too much or just turn off after few boring minutes. Daddy day camp i watched till the end (and with some pleasure). 5/10

p.s. but if this movie had 3/10 i am probably never would watch it :) "Worst in the history" take my attention.

OK first off i was put off this movie by the fact that Eddie Murphy didn't want to be in it, which looking at the films he pumps out now is saying something (i have Norbit in mind) i only saw this movie as a friend had it so it didn't cost me anything, and i was sorely disappointed.

I had always liked Cuba Gooding Jr. since i saw him in rat race, but this has ruined my opinion of him.

I found this movie unfunny and as it develops it becomes a poor mans cheaper by the dozen 2 (which was no masterpiece itself) truly a film to avoid