Will Ferrell’s comedies tend to be pretty unpredictable in quality. When it’s good, it’s hilarious, like Anchorman or Elf. When it’s bad, we get eye rollers like Land of the Lost and Bewitched.
It ultimately depends on the director and material he’s given, as he isn’t as dominant in the directing and writing process as some other comedians are, which is by no means a bad thing. If Adam Sandler’s last decade is anything to go by, sometimes comedians do need help to balance out their products so they don’t go completely off the rails. That balance in most of Ferrell’s best work was writer and director Adam McKay.
Unfortunately, during the filming of Daddy’s Home, McKay was too busy making his first Oscar-nominated movie The Big Short and just helped out by lending a few bucks.
Does director, producer, and writer Sean Anders make a good substitute in Ferrell’s reunion with Mark Wahlberg in Daddy’s Home?
Ferrell portrays radio executive Brad Whitaker, a mellow man who is having a hard time being a stepfather to the two children of his wife Sara.
Things start looking up for Brad’s relationship in the family, but their biological father Dusty Mayron comes to visit and intends to reclaim his family and take them from Brad. This of course results in whacky hijinks as the two dads compete for both the kids and Sara’s affections.
The movie is tame, all things considered, and doesn’t really cross any boundaries.
Unfortunately, the plot and the comedy itself is by-the-numbers.
It’s predictable with what path the characters will take and doesn’t allow for many outrageous moments aside from a few forced physical comedy bits.
It’s one of the many cases where they spoil all the funny parts in the trailer. The movie is tame, all things considered, and doesn’t really cross any boundaries aside from a scene involving basketball.
The selling point of this movie was bringing Ferrell and Wahlberg back together, as they previously starred in the buddy-cop movie The Other Guys.
The differences between their characters in these two flicks greatly summarizes how that was better than this.
Here, Ferrell is cast as the straight man and uncool dad who desperately wants to keep his family by attempting stupid tricks that get himself hurt. Basically, Will Ferrell plays Will Ferrell.
Wahlberg plays the tough guy who acts cool and dominant while displaying a number of talents and acting like a prick to make sure the audience doesn’t completely like him, which is no different than 80% of his other roles.
It’s typecasting in mediocre fashion, as their characters are predictable, and there’s nothing that makes them stand out from their other similar roles in the script. The Other Guys essentially made the two parodies of these types of characters and succeeded.
There are a couple of celebrity cameos thrown into the mix, but it’s disappointing to see Linda Cardellini’s character wasted. Being stuck between these two as the wife/step-wife, she could have been given more to do and better material.
The only thing that does stand out is the chemistry between Ferrell and Wahlberg, as they still carry a similar charm in their interactions that they had in The Other Guys.
If you want to see Daddy’s Home, you’re better off seeing the Youtube trailer at home. It has the only funny moments and summarizes why Wahlberg and Ferrell make a great team.
Unfortunately, their second outing couldn’t hold a candle to their first one. The story and characters are very predictable while offering no twist or comedy to the “Dad vs Step-Dad” formula.
If you want to see Daddy’s Home, you’re better off seeing Youtube trailer at home.
Hopefully after recovering from award season McKay can get back with Ferrell to do some less by-the-numbers comedies. I wouldn’t mind them bringing Marky Mark along for the ride either.