Very Bad Dads

Given how much I loved "The Other Guys",I was pretty excited to see Ferrel and Wahlberg back together again. But it turns out that "Daddy's Home" is for the most part just a normal family friendly comedy. It lacks the edge and twisted humor you'll normally find in Will Ferrel movies.

Since this is a spoiler free review I'm not going to say too much about the plot. Will Ferrel plays the role of "Brad", who is working his ass off trying to be the new dad for the two children in his new family. But suddenly one day their real dad, played by Wahlberg, shows up with a plan to win his family back. From there on out everything is pretty predictable. In fact, if you replaced Will Ferrel with Adam Sandler you might think to yourself "have I seen this before?"

If you're expecting a movie in the style of "The Other Guys", you will be disappointed. If you just want to relax with a typical family comedy, it's pretty good. You just might want to have your youngest kids sit this one out.

Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell) is a mild-mannered radio executive struggling to be loved by his stepchildren. The children's biological father Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberg) comes to town. Despite reservations from his wife Sara (Linda Cardellini), Brad invites him to stay. Dusty starts manipulating and overshadowing Brad. Brad's inability to have children is another way to diminish him. Dusty brings them to his friend fertility doctor Emilio Francisco (Bobby Cannavale). Leo Holt (Thomas Haden Church) is Brad's unhelpful boss. Griff (Hannibal Buress) is a handyman who ends up staying in the home.

Ferrell and Wahlberg are a great duo. The jokes don't really hit that hard except the dance off in the end. The great thing is the duo. They have great chemistry together especially when they end up in a bromance. Despite not being terribly funny, it would be great to see a sequel with the guys struggling together which is what happens in the last act of the movie. That's the best part of this movie.

"Modern Family" has been showing it to us on our TV screens since 2009. On the big screen, "Mrs. Doubtfire" talked about it back in 1993: "Some parents, when they're angry, they get along much better when they don't live together. They don't fight all the time, and they can become better people, and much better mummies and daddies for you. There are all sorts of different families." The Best Picture Oscar winner "Kramer vs. Kramer" dramatized it back in 1979, along with numerous other TV shows and movies before and since. These entertainment products reflect today's society and help people deal with the stresses and heartbreak of divorce and the formation of new and even unconventional families. Often, TV shows and movies do these things with humor, as in the film "Daddy's Home" (PG-13, 1:36).

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg (previously seen together in 2010's "The Other Guys") star as Brad Whitaker and Dustin Mayron, two dads vying for the affections and loyalties of young brother and sister, Dylan and Megan (Owen Vaccaro and Scarlett Estevez). Dustin was the proverbial bad boy who was exciting for Sara (Linda Cardellini) to date. After marrying her and giving her two beautiful children, the same qualities which initially made him appealing, made him impossible to live with and the couple split. Enter Brad, a sensitive man who can't have children, but who has a tremendous paternal instinct. He marries Sara and is a great husband and father – at least, to the extent that the kids allow. Still attached to their absentee bio-dad, the kids make Brad work for every ounce of grudging acceptance.

When Dustin unexpectedly calls the Whitaker home and announces that he's flying to New Orleans for a visit, Brad happily picks up Dustin from the airport. Brad's a bit intimidated by Dustin's machismo, but remains confident in his own lovingly and patiently-cultivated position of step-dad. Just starting to make emotional inroads with Dylan and Megan, Brad is thrown off his game by Dustin's "fun dad" persona – and passive-aggressive efforts to make Dustin look… less. Along the way, Brad gets "advice" in the form of humorously self-aggrandizing stories from his boss (Thomas Haden Church) and medical help in trying to expand his family from a famous fertility doctor (Bobby Cannavale), while having to deal with a handyman (Hannibal Buress) whom Dustin invites to move in and who thinks that Brad's a racist. As Brad and Dustin escalate their competition, each deals with some of his efforts hilariously backfiring. It's going to take a lot of grit, determination and cunning for either Brad or Dustin to win this "dad off".

"Daddy's Home" is a very funny and well-constructed comedy with a lot of heart. The movie's jokes and sight-gags range from sweet to predictably crude, are often clever and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Ferrell and Wahlberg are in top form. Ferrell's over-the-top patient understanding and affection-winning efforts make us root for him… until we're not so sure. Wahlberg's oblique persona and shifting tactics keep us guessing. The cumulative result is a back-and-forth battle whose outcome may be predictable, but still entertains us with the method to its madness. My advice? As soon as daddy's home, get him to leave daddy's home and take him to see "Daddy's Home". He'll appreciate it. "A-"

'Daddy's Home' is the second collaboration between Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, the first being 2010's 'The Other Guys'. There's no doubt the two have chemistry. What there is doubt about is how to perfectly utilise each of the two as characters. The problem is that for Wahlberg's confident, in-charge character (which he has to play) to work Ferrell needs to play the straight guy and that isn't when he's at his best. He does it well there's no doubt about it, but he's at his best when his character has an edge to him like 'Ron Burgundy' or his character in 'Step Brothers'. Playing the overly straight guy just seems almost a waste for the one Ferrell movie we get a year, even though no one could deny he still does it very well.

The difference in quality between this and 'Get Hard' is noticeable. There, Kevin Hart was unable to find a chemistry with Ferrell and it just turned into the two competing with each other trying to make the movie their own. Here that's not the case. Wahlberg seems happy to let Ferrell take the reins and is comfortable just doing what he does best, with his laid back, dry sense of humour accompanying Ferrell perfectly.

There are consistent laughs throughout, but perhaps not one stand out scene that will be memorable for years to come. It doesn't push the envelope as much as other Ferrell movies have in the past either. I really would love to see him always be given free rein to say and do as he pleases but also understand why that can't always be the case. If you're just looking to get your annual fix of a bit of Ferrell hilarity then you won't be disappointed. If you are looking for a game-changer, perhaps wait for the next one.

I have to confess that for the most part, Will Ferrell kind of mystifies me; I don't see what makes him so popular with the mass public. Still, I have to confess that in "Daddy's Home", he tones it down so he isn't strident like he is in other movies. In fact, he does end up having some charm and likability, and paired up with Mark Wahlberg (another actor who usually doesn't impress me), some genuine chemistry is generated. Also, director Sean Anders wisely lessens the raunch factor that is usually high in in the two stars' other movie; there is an easy-going feeling instead that is quite palatable, a feeling that does sneak up on you and does tickle your funny bone on occasion. However, in the end there are not quite enough laughs to make me give it a recommendation. As I said in my summary line, the movie is quite formulaic; you can really predict what will happen before it actually happens throughout. Since there are no surprises, it becomes very difficult for the movie to pull the rug out under the audience and generate laughs. There are many comedies that are much worse than this, I admit, but in the end it's only a movie to watch when something else in your home is asking for your primary attention.