Daddy's Home

Daddy's Home

Plot in a nutshell: Brad Taggart (Will Ferrell) is a kind-hearted loving husband to Sara Whitaker (Linda Cardellini) and step father to her two children. Despite a rocky start, the children are now warming to Brad who dedicates his life to being the best step father. Things get a bit rocky when ex husband Rusty (Mark Wahlberg) comes back to town looking to make up for lost time with his kids.

My thoughts: Despite his role as John Bennett in Ted/Ted 2 accepting Mark Wahlberg as a comedy actor is still something I'm getting to grips with. Maybe it's just because of the limited roles he's had but I can't see past him as a tough guy in an action film. Ferrell on the other hand I think I would struggle to see in anything other than a comedy. Some of his roles though I consider a little too over the top. The comedy he gets involved in is sometimes too forced and exaggerated for my liking. This movie was, at times, no exception, and for me took a little shine off what could have been a really good film.

The film starts off with Brad taking a lot of guff from his step-children, most notably a selection of pictures from his step daughter where he takes comfort in the fact she has just drawn her first ever picture where he isn't already dead. Brad, the eternal optimist is a very very likeable character and Ferrell plays him very well and makes him incredibly believable.

As I'm sure many of us will experience at some point during life, having that feeling of needing to compete or be better than an ex is one that can consume you. I can't imagine how hard it must be to be the step parent of a child who's parent is never around and then just drops in and undermines everything you try and do. Yet that's exactly what Rusty (Wahlberg) sets out to do - and for a while, achieves.

Very quickly this film turns into a who's the better dad and at times it seems nothing more like a competition as to who's bigger than who. Some of it is good fun, some of it was just too cheesy for me.

One of these competitions comes in the form of Ferrell attempting to move Wahlberg's motorcycle. Now this bit was in the trailer so we all saw it coming, yet the screening I was in seemed to react as if they'd never seen anything funnier. I dunno, just too fake for me. Also - and this is me being incredibly picky, but that scene was obviously faked. Now I'm not suggesting someone actually rides a bike over 4 people and into a house at 30mph, but the quality of CGI showing it was poor. The best part of it though was the then long standing joke of the Whitaker family being driven round in a car that had been completely crumpled by the bike fallen from the roof on to it.

Ferrell is one of those actors you tend to find works with the same group on occasion (not quite as much as Adam Sandler and his possy) but this film (to my knowledge) didn't have many familiar faces. One supporting member of the cast should get a mention though - Thomas Haden Church. He plays Brad's boss and comes out with the most inappropriate stories that have no relevance to any situation Brad is seeking help in.

I mentioned how sometimes the comedy in films I've seen Will Ferrell in have been a bit over the top and for me this had just too many of those moments dotted around. In one of many rounds of who's the better dad 2K16, Brad skateboards off of his roof onto a half pipe constructed in his back garden, shoots high off the back slope, hits the electricity cables above the house and dies. Ok so maybe he only dies for a few seconds but to then get back up and carry on as if nothing has happened? hmm I expected a little more. Who am I to say what works though.

I will say though that throughout the film, I very much enjoyed how Ferrell and Wahlberg seemed to work off one another and I think that is down to the clever script writing. There was a very good balance of obvious innuendo and more subtle implications that I imagine would have worked well if you had taken someone a little younger with you.

My biggest issue with the film though was the best bits were definitely in the trailer. You were just waiting and sometimes anticipating one of the gags you had seen as at times the film didn't really move forward a great deal. It's because of this I was a little disappointed.

Right from the get go you know this is going to be one of those - two characters meet, don't like each other, argue, have a heart wrenching epiphany, make up and live happily ever after. And if that is all you want then this will be the film for you. I just wanted a little more.

Verdict: You know what, I've said a few things I didn't like about this film but it is what it is. A light hearted, very watchable comedy that you didn't really have to pay attention to. It'd be a good one to just stick on if you've got nothing to do and want some background noise. The film could have been better yes, but I've sat through much worse.

Average  - 5/10