The latest Will Ferrell comedy, Daddy’s Home, isn’t entirely without its redeeming features, but there are just a few too many blatant moments of treating the audience like idiots for it to land well. It’s entertaining and has some good comedy moments, but with the occasional Peewee Herman-esque slapstick style, uneccessary CGI and special effects, and worst product placement we’ve seen to-date you end up feeling a little nappy-soiled by the end of it all.
The story is a decent enough comedy setup with Will Ferrell (Zoolander 2) starring as dependable, but unappreciated step-dad Brad Whitaker, who’s mild mannered position within his family is challenged by a long-overdue visit from biological dad Dusty Meyron, played by Mark Wahlberg (Transformers: Age Of Extinction). The motorbike-driving cool dad sweeps in with a blatant agenda to hoof Brad out of the awkward equation, setting the scene for a ridiculous David vs. Goliath showdown.
Ferrell and Wahlberg work pretty well together, playing off each other to ramp up the gags, and they’re supported by a decent cast with good deadpan humour from Hannibal Buress (The Nice Guys) as their random DIY-man lodger, and mental storytelling from Thomas Haden Church as Brad’s boss, Leo. Linda Cardellini (Avengers: Age Of Ultron) is very dependable as mum, Sara, doing a lot to compensate for the OTT nature of the rest of the film.
The problem with movies with potential is that they’re sometimes blighted by a tendency to chase the magical overblown dragon, and that’s definitely the case with Daddy’s Home. It seems to assume a little too often that bigger, louder, stupider and more “up in your grill” equates to a better film, which isn’t the case, and you’ve only got to read a few of its more critical reviews to see how true that is. It’s an issue that blights another notable Wahlberg outing, Transformers: Age Of Extinction, and by not knowing the difference between pushing boundaries and jumping the shark we’re left with films that don’t live up to your first, naively hopeful impressions.
If that isn’t enough to dampen the comic impact of the film, it’s also book-ended with two of the worst product placement promos we’ve ever seen on TV. It’s hard to ask for integrity from a silly comedy movie, but someone, somewhere associated with the production needed to stick their neck out and just say no. Instead, any semblance of positive reviews are crushed under the unapologetic presence of two ads for an oversized SUV that isn’t even available anywhere else in the world except North America.
Sadly, the good bits, the well-honed comic interplay between Ferrell and Wahlberg, and the good-shout casting of Hannibal Buress and Thomas Haden Church aren’t enough to make up for the negatives. This could have easily been up there with The Other Guys, Taladego Nights and Step Brothers, but it doesn’t get close in the end. It’s hard to say who’s to blame, but director Sean Anders and producers Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy and John Morris are firm favourites. Give it a spin on rental if you’re looking for a few laughs, but Daddy’s Home isn’t really a contender for DVD collection material.
Daddy’s Home DVD review: 2.8/5
