I haven't always been a Will Ferrell fan but every once in awhile a dumb comedy is okay and Ferrell tends to do that easily. I actually had some decent expectations for this because the trailers looked silly fun and had a good concept and it does. It's a simple concept but that doesn't make it unwatchable. The biggest issue with Daddy's Home is that it is painfully predictable. I mean comedies tend to be this and usually they show many of the best gags in the trailer but there just felt like there was nothing surprising here at all. The entire film rests on the two leads chemistry which is decent so it does carry the film. I suppose I just wanted some laughs to be a surprise and maybe something outside of the trailer and outside of what you might expect. It also doesn't know what demographic it is aiming at. It could have almost been a family film but is far too dirty and far too many curse words for family or even early-teens. Considering the fun and lightheartedness of the rivalry and comedy, it is disappointing. What I wanted to see was some zany physical comedy but they use CGI and really bad special effects like a gag on its own.
You can guarantee the main cast meet expectations for their fans. I admit I have never seen The Other Guys but Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell definitely make an odd couple together that work for comedy. Ferrell does what he does playing the overgrown child and the wimpish fool like nobody else can and it works again. Wahlberg is perfectly cast as the smooth, suave, testosterone laden ex-husband of Ferrell's wife. The two of them against each is fun if you ignore the predictability and obviousness. Linda Cardellini plays their wife and I have to give her credit because she doesn't have a big role but she is actually almost believable that she could have been married to Wahlberg and then Ferrell and that's not easy to pull off. Supported cast including Thomas Haden Church (who should have been used more), Scarlett Estevez, Owen Vaccaro, Bobby Cannavale and Hannibal Buress are all good but very underused considering how good they could have been.
Daddy's Home is simple and fun and you likely will enjoy it if you're not expecting a lot from it. No matter what kind of film you're making I think you should be making it as great as possible and Daddy's Home feels rushed and under-made to cash in which it did that. Sean Anders isn't exactly a top notch comedy director after helming duds like That's My Boy and Horrible Bosses 2 but he makes a better writer and should stick to that. However, this is better than both of those films. So check this out for a fun evening watch but keep your expectations low. 6.5/10
You can guarantee the main cast meet expectations for their fans. I admit I have never seen The Other Guys but Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell definitely make an odd couple together that work for comedy. Ferrell does what he does playing the overgrown child and the wimpish fool like nobody else can and it works again. Wahlberg is perfectly cast as the smooth, suave, testosterone laden ex-husband of Ferrell's wife. The two of them against each is fun if you ignore the predictability and obviousness. Linda Cardellini plays their wife and I have to give her credit because she doesn't have a big role but she is actually almost believable that she could have been married to Wahlberg and then Ferrell and that's not easy to pull off. Supported cast including Thomas Haden Church (who should have been used more), Scarlett Estevez, Owen Vaccaro, Bobby Cannavale and Hannibal Buress are all good but very underused considering how good they could have been.
Daddy's Home is simple and fun and you likely will enjoy it if you're not expecting a lot from it. No matter what kind of film you're making I think you should be making it as great as possible and Daddy's Home feels rushed and under-made to cash in which it did that. Sean Anders isn't exactly a top notch comedy director after helming duds like That's My Boy and Horrible Bosses 2 but he makes a better writer and should stick to that. However, this is better than both of those films. So check this out for a fun evening watch but keep your expectations low. 6.5/10