daddy's home movie review

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘daddy’s home’: film review.

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg reteam as a stepfather and father competing for the love of the kids in Sean Anders' new comedy.

By Jon Frosch

Senior Editor, Reviews

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Send an Email
• Show additional share options
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on Reddit
• Share on Tumblr
• Share on Whats App
• Print the Article
• Post a Comment

It seems like yesterday that Bridesmaids was being touted as definitive “proof” — as if such a thing were necessary — that, yes, women could be funny. But as 2015 draws to a close, moviegoers may be wondering what’s going on with the dudes. Let’s compare the year’s studio comedies: Amy Schumer and Melissa McCarthy gave us the gifts of Trainwreck and Spy , Pitch Perfect 2 was almost as fun as the original and Sisters is a serviceable Tina Fey/Amy Poehler vehicle; on the bro-ier end of the spectrum, we’ve had Unfinished Business , Get Hard , Entourage , the not-bad The Night Before and now Daddy’s Home , the largely laugh-free reteaming of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg after their 2010 cop spoof The Other Guys. You decide.

Related Stories

'the union' review: mark wahlberg and halle berry star in a standard netflix action flick that gets the job done, mark wahlberg on leaving l.a. for las vegas and whether he would come back: "i always miss it".

Other Guys found some amusingly weird shades to Ferrell and Wahlberg’s odd-couple chemistry, and you’ll miss it while watching the pair’s new film, an insipid bit of hack work from Sean Anders (director of Horrible Bosses 2 and writer of We’re the Millers ).

Release date: Dec 25, 2015

Daddy’s Home , which pits Ferrell’s brainy stepfather against Wahlberg’s brawny biological father in a battle for the love of the kids, plays like a comedy underwater: Its rhythms are sluggish, its jokes predictable and the gags are set up with such thudding deliberateness that even the sight of Ferrell losing control of a motorcycle, careening through the air and crashing straight through his house barely raises an eyebrow. To borrow a term from today’s youth — who, given the movie’s PG-13 rating and risk-averse humor, may be its target audience — Daddy’s Home is basic.

Ferrell is Brad, newly wedded to Sarah (Linda Cardellini ) and stepdad to her two grade-school-age kids, Megan and Dylan (Scarlett Estevez and Owen Vaccaro , shouty ). Brad’s the kind of doting sweetheart who places inspirational notes in the little ones’ lunchboxes and tears up when Megan asks him to a “daddy-daughter dance.” But just when he thinks he’s finally being embraced as a legitimate paterfamilias, Brad is slapped with the news that Dusty, Sarah’s ex-husband and the father of her children, is coming for a visit.

As his name suggests, Dusty ( Wahlberg ) is a vision of virility, a badass with a leather jacket, slicked-back hair and muscles for miles, who inspires adulation in his kids and may still make Sarah slightly weak in the knees, too. He seems hell-bent on winning back his spot at the head of the proverbial table, but Brad is determined to protect his position as the family’s new material and moral provider (such is Daddy’s Home ’s conception of domesticity, with Cardellini , a fine actress, reduced to finger-wagging and hand-wringing).

Read more Richard Linklater’s ‘Everybody Wants Some’ Trailer Debuts

It all turns into a big one-up-athon — and literally a dick-swinging contest during a visit to a fertility doctor played by Bobby Cannavale — as Brad and Dusty compete over who can tell Megan and Dylan the better bedtime story, build the better tree house, give better advice on how to handle bullies, etc. It’s a ripe, if obvious, comic premise, but Anders and his team of screenwriters don’t seem to have spent much time thinking up clever or imaginative ways to have the men hash out their rivalry. Daddy’s Home is a one-trick pony, and that trick — an effortlessly cool Wahlberg emasculating a beleaguered Ferrell — just isn’t fresh or funny enough to sustain a 95-minute movie. The biggest laugh comes when Brad unintentionally hurls a basketball at a Laker Girl’s face; it’s never a good sign when a film’s high point is a bit of gratuitous violence against women.

Ferrell and Wahlberg (who repeatedly has proven his comedy chops but here registers as little more than a slab of shirtless torso) are playing concepts rather than characters, and appear understandably bored. Meanwhile, Thomas Haden Church and Hannibal Buress are wasted in lame supporting roles as Brad’s boss and a handyman, respectively.

When a dog named Tumor starts humping a Mrs. Claus doll (it sounds funnier than it plays, if that’s any indication), you know a movie has thrown in the towel, and you’ll probably do the same.

Read more Red Granite Founders on ‘Daddy’s Home,’ Giving Martin Scorsese Total Control of ‘Wolf of Wall Street’

Production: Gary Sanchez Productions Distributor: Paramount Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg , Linda Cardellini , Thomas Haden Church, Hannibal Buress , Bobby Cannavale , Bill Burr, Jamie Denbo , Paul Scheer , John Cena Director: Sean Anders Screenwriters: Brian Burns, Sean Anders, John Morris Producers: Will Ferrell, Chris Henchy , Adam McKay , John Morris Executive producers: Sean Anders, Riza Aziz, Jessica Elbaum , David Koplan , Joey McFarland, Kevin J. Messick , Diana Pokorny Director of photography: Julio Macat Production designer: Clayton Hartley Editor: Eric Kissack , Brad E. Wilhite Costume designer: Carol Ramsey Composer: Michael Andrews

Rated PG-13, 96 minutes.

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

‘it ends with us’ screenwriter on how she hopes the film “destigmatizes” domestic violence, skydance, ‘jurassic world’ scribe derek connolly tackling sega’s ‘eternal champions’ (exclusive), ‘crossed’ movie in the works from ‘the boys’ creator garth ennis (exclusive), “a dynamic space that honors and celebrates black culture”:  mvaaff celebrates another year with stars including sanaa lathan, taraji p. henson, don cheadle and more, taraji p. henson, colman domingo and more stars attend the martha’s vineyard african american film festival, adria arjona on ‘blink twice,’ her showstopping ‘hit man’ line and ‘andor’ season 2: “it’s so much better”.

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

• DVD & Streaming

Daddy’s Home

Content caution.

In Theaters

• December 25, 2015
• Will Ferrell as Brad Whitaker; Linda Cardellini as Sarah Whitaker; Mark Wahlberg as Dusty Mayron; Owen Vaccaro as Dylan Whitaker; Scarlett Estevez as Megan Whitaker; Thomas Haden Church as Leo Holt

Home Release Date

• March 22, 2016
• Sean Anders

Distributor

Movie review.

What do kids need more, a father or a dad?

That’s the question Brad Whitaker asks at the outset of Daddy’s Home . And while you might think they’re one and the same, Brad begs to differ.

“Anyone can be father,” he intones. “Not everyone has the patience and endurance to be a dad.”

But it turns out Brad’s only half right. A horrible X-ray accident has left him infertile. Though he dreams of being a father, he no longer has the physical ability to achieve that status. So he’s done the next best thing: marrying a beautiful woman, Sarah, with two precocious grade-schoolers, Dylan and Megan.

And he’s determined to become the best dad he can possibly be.

In fact, you might say Brad’s a super dad. He’s read all the books on being the perfect stepfather. He patiently endures the “cone zone” dropping kids off at school. He faithfully shuttles them to after-school lessons. He gladly volunteers at school, scouts and church. He’s always available to listen. In short, his gentle, tender, intentional presence is about as different from the way the children’s biological father acts as it could be—which is exactly why Sarah married him.

After years of Brad’s steady, consistent efforts to win their hearts, Dylan and Megan are finally starting to come around. Dylan confides in him about bullies at school. Megan stops drawing family portraits that show Brad dead, on fire, covered with excrement … or all three.

It’s all going quite swimmingly now, in fact, until the night the phone rings: It’s Dusty, the children’s wild-child alpha male father. He wants to meet Brad … and spend time with the kids, something he hasn’t done since before Brad and Sarah got married.

Dusty is a former soldier who now works as a—well, it’s not quite clear. But Brad’s pretty sure the guy knows how to kill people. He rides a motorcycle. He knows how to use power tools. He can do pull-ups with one arm … all day … without ever breaking a sweat.

And the mere fact that Brad is now the new “man of the house” awakens all of Dusty’s competitive instincts. So before you can yell “Daddy’s home!” it’s on : a dad-off, a no-holds-barred competition to determine whether Dylan and Megan’s biological father or adopted stepdad really has what it takes to earn the right to parent them for the long term.

It’s a status Brad thought he had already attained.

Positive Elements

Daddy’s Home sports a fair bit of crass content, which we’ll soon start dealing with. But underneath it are several positive messages about fatherhood, parenting and marriage.

Sarah divorced the attractive and exciting Dusty largely because he was utterly unable to handle the responsibilities that came with being a parent. For her second marriage, she chose someone on the other side of the spectrum: Brad is a poster parent for sensitive beta males. He’s never been in a fight, wouldn’t know a hammer if it hit him on the head, and doesn’t know how to ride a motorcycle. But he’s absolutely devoted to Dylan’s and Megan’s needs. He’s read all the books about how to be a good stepdad, and slowly he’s winning the kids’ trust and allegiance.

For his part, Dusty’s motivations are largely selfish—until near the end of the movie. That’s when he finally and grudgingly realizes that Brad has fatherhood skills and instincts he doesn’t, and that the other man’s attentive patience and gentleness are very good things for the children.

Brad, amazingly, is mostly magnanimous in his desire to ensure that Dusty still has a role in the kids’ lives. And when Dusty wants to check out completely, Brad talks him back into spending important time with Megan at a daddy-daughter dance.

Spiritual Elements

Brad volunteers as a leader for Dylan and Megan’s Little Disciples group at church, where we see a large painting of Jesus in the background.

Sexual Content

Dusty plays up his manliness in an attempt to steal back Sarah’s heart, but she steadfastly resists his manipulations—including his barely concealed desire to bed her again.

Sadly, that’s about the only good thing I’ll get to say in this section. Once he knows about Brad’s infertility, Dusty takes him to a world-famous male infertility specialist. The painful scene that follows involves the doctor standing in front of Brad and Dusty, both of whom have pulled their pants down for inspection. Nothing explicit is seen onscreen, but graphically crass statements are made comparing their male anatomy. Multiple comments are made in this scene and elsewhere about the size and capability of Dusty’s “equipment.”

Brad is in a room masturbating (to get a semen sample) when the window blinds fall down and expose him to a crowd of people having a birthday party just outside. (We see the obvious implications of his actions, but not anything explicit.) Dusty repeatedly works out sans shirt (with Brad repeatedly telling him to put something on). Sarah and another woman wear cleavage-revealing tops. Dancing Los Angeles Lakers cheerleaders wear skimpy, revealing outfits.

While drunk, Brad broadcasts the fact that he had sex with his wife. Dusty makes a wink-wink comment about being “good with his hands.” In bed with Brad, Sarah offers up a cutesy comment about his testicles. Brad’s boss repeatedly tells inappropriate stories about sexual conquests and crazy things that happened with his multiple ex-wives (one of whom was a stripper). A joke is made about a tampon that’s in Brad’s toolbox. There’s also an inappropriate quip about an odd tattoo near someone’s backside.

Violent Content

When Brad tries to be macho and ride Dylan’s motorcycle, the machine sends him careening into and through the house, with the bike finally shooting back out through an upstairs wall. It partially crushes Brad’s SUV and propels him headfirst through some Sheetrock, where he gets stuck.

Even more disastrous is Brad’s attempt to skateboard down a half-pipe course Dusty constructs in their backyard. Brad nails it—then nails a power line, gets electrocuted and is briefly dead. Dusty revives him, and Dylan gushes, “My daddy can bring people back from the dead!”

Brad and Dusty disagree, of course, about how Dylan should handle bullies. Brad counsels nonviolent responses, but Dusty wants to teach the boy how to fight back (a strategy Brad reluctantly concedes to after confessing how much damage being beaten up by bullies did to his own self-esteem when he was young). They teach Dylan to hit hard (“punch right in the Adam’s apple,” Dusty coaches) and to kick his assailant in the crotch. Dylan then does exactly that to the bully—who turns out to be a girl—at the daddy-daughter dance. The young lady’s dad punches Dusty in the face.

Drunk, Brad tries to throw a basketball at Dusty during a Los Angeles Lakers game, but inadvertently knocks out a cheerleader instead. Brad’s second, equally errant shot, clocks a boy in a wheelchair, knocking him over.

Crude or Profane Language

At least 15 s-words. “B–ch” and “a–” are each uttered about half a dozen times; “h—,” three or four times. There’s one use each of the following vulgarities, crudities or profanities: “b–tard,” “for cripes’ sake,” “p—y,” “wussy,” “pr–k,” “butthole,” “holy balls,” “nuts,” “d–kie” and “p—ed.” God’s name is misused between 15 and 20 times (twice paired with “d–n”). We hear one abuse of Jesus’ name.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Once Dusty arrives, he and Brad are repeatedly shown drinking beer together. Deeply discouraged at a Lakers game, Brad downs five beers, gets drunk, and badly embarrasses himself in a half-court shot competition. Passing reference is made to someone being on “‘roids.”

Other Negative Elements

Spanning several nights, Dusty tells a bedtime story to the kids about the “real king” and the “stepking” in a way that obviously casts Brad in a bad light. (The stories include sexual innuendo about the relative sizes of the men’s “swords” that flies over the children’s heads.) Dusty also tries to undermine Brad by saying things to the kids like, “Let’s be respectful of Brad’s rules, no matter how arbitrary they seem.” There’s an ongoing gag about Brad supposedly being racist. (He’s not.)

Dusty brings a ratty looking stray dog home and names it Tumor. The dog defecates on the floor, and Dusty says there’s probably worms in it. Dusty holds another puppy later while it urinates off a balcony. Megan draws a family portrait showing what she says is “homeless man poop” on Brad’s head. While temporarily living in his office, Brad tells his boss that the bad smell is because “I crapped in the wastebasket.”

At the premiere of Daddy’s Home in New York City, actor Will Ferrell (who plays Brad) told Variety magazine, “Getting to do comedy is such a unique thing, because I can work on something that has a positive impact on people’s lives.”

Ferrell’s made plenty of raunchy comedies over the years— Anchorman , Talladega Nights , Blades of Glory and Old School quickly come to mind—that are not the kinds of movies I’ve ever been tempted to use in the same sentence as “positive impact.” But Daddy’s Home just might be … albeit with some pretty big disclaimers.

Chief among those is the movie’s seriously nasty—and ongoing—gag about damaged testicles. And then there’s the masturbation. The isn’t-it-funny-that-he’s-dead violence. And the profanity. Those are the things we’ve come to expect from Will Ferrell’s comedies.

What I wasn’t expecting was a film that somehow manages, amid all that, to take fatherhood and being a stepfather seriously. Dusty mocks Brad’s beta male proclivities. But in the end, the alpha is humbled when he learns firsthand the kind of sacrificial commitment it takes for a father to tend to kids’ omnipresent, mundane, sometimes maddening needs.

There’s a lot of “s—” to deal with, Dusty observes.

“That’s what dads do,” Brad responds, “is take s—.”

Those two lines of dialogue perfectly encapsulate the fresh and foul smells that enter the room when Daddy’s Home . It’s got a good—even earnest—heart when it comes to the never ending demands of fatherhood. But moviegoers are forced to sit through a whole lot of crudity to get a glimpse of it.

Adam R. Holz

After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.

Latest Reviews

My Penguin Friend

Alien: Romulus

It Ends with Us

Weekly reviews straight to your inbox.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 81% Alien: Romulus Link to Alien: Romulus
• 78% Cuckoo Link to Cuckoo
• 97% Good One Link to Good One

New TV Tonight

• 96% Industry: Season 3
• 91% Bad Monkey: Season 1
• 100% Solar Opposites: Season 5
• 58% Emily in Paris: Season 4
• 60% Rick and Morty: The Anime: Season 1
• -- Bel-Air: Season 3
• -- SEAL Team: Season 7
• -- RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars: Season 1
• -- Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures: Season 2
• -- Worst Ex Ever: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 53% The Umbrella Academy: Season 4
• 100% Supacell: Season 1
• 78% Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1
• 82% A Good Girl's Guide to Murder: Season 1
• 100% Women in Blue: Season 1
• 78% Presumed Innocent: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• 91% Bad Monkey: Season 1 Link to Bad Monkey: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

All James Cameron Movies Ranked

Best Horror Movies of 2024 Ranked – New Scary Movies to Watch

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

James Wan’s Teacup : Premiere Date, Trailer, Cast & More

2024 Emmy Awards Ballot: Complete with Tomatometer and Audience Scores

• Trending on RT
• Renewed and Cancelled TV
• Best Movies of 2024
• Popular TV Shows
• Re-Release Calendar

Daddy's Home Reviews

Here's one of those comedies like Meet the Parents where an awkward family situation escalates, and everyone onscreen behaves so farcically that their inane behavior can only be explained by the requirements of the script.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4 | Apr 23, 2022

Daddy's Home promises a battle between two forms of masculinity and fatherhood, and the implications of that could be fascinating. But what we get is as intense as a sparring match.

Full Review | Apr 13, 2021

Has its giddy moments but by-and-large but doesn't contain enough "dad jokes" to make it worthwhile.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 3, 2021

That it isn't entirely dreadful is testament to the ease with which the two leads are able to make even the most predictable of jokes set-ups and executions seem somewhat humorous.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Apr 8, 2019

Daddy's Home is unnecessary and there's barely any comedy to sustain its watch-ability. The film is all over the place and in the end, of course, decides to have a happy ending that just doesn't seem to fit.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Apr 5, 2019

There are moments around the halfway point where the gags lose steam, but the satisfying mishmash of broad and dry humor does the trick more often than not.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Jan 26, 2018

The most hilarious character in the film though isn't played by Will Ferrell or Mark Wahlberg, but Hannibal Buress' repair-man that freeloads off the family, interrupting every conversation at the most inopportune time with the most random dialogue

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 4, 2017

The dadzillas put you to sleep with their cliched humour as they make desperate attempts to win over their children.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Nov 9, 2017

Genuine heart and sweet sentiments tend to get lost on more than a few occasions strictly so that chicanery can occur.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 5, 2017

Ground-breaking, this isn't: it's out-and-out commercial comedy. But it's well acted, undemanding and delivers a decent supply of laughs in a refreshingly brief running time.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 26, 2017

Daddy's Home is not entertaining. It's a lazily executed painful waste of talented performers.

Full Review | Oct 14, 2017

Watching the kids take second place to a cage match featuring two immature gorillas grows more tiresome by the minute.

Full Review | Original Score: D | Aug 16, 2017

It's Ferrell and Wahlberg who keep this engine revving like it does, a statement that shouldn't come as a shock for all of those who watched the pair's 2010 hit The Other Guys.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 16, 2016

Daddy's Home is the white bread of family comedies, stuffed with everything you've seen before.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Aug 4, 2016

A chocolates-out, phone-off binge of Ted, Old School and The Other Guys will give you more satisfaction.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jul 25, 2016

All in all, when the kids are disappointed that "Star Wars" is sold out, you can have a little fun with them here

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 21, 2016

You wait for a hint of Ferrell wickedness or a sign of potent Wahlberg meanness to really zing us, but get a high-school comedy which has been neutered to a harmless, toothless PG13 rating.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | May 24, 2016

Unfortunately, it's a lot of family dysfunction to wade through for a meagre pay-off.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | May 16, 2016

Begins with an interesting premise but does not pack in enough satire into its contrived and predictable screenplay.

Full Review | Apr 15, 2016

The closest we've come to a Will Ferrell Greatest Hits movie - not at all a bad thing.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 9, 2016

Daddy’s Home Review

18 Dec 2015

Daddy’s Home

Everything’s dandy for Brad (Ferrell). Job at a smooth jazz station, loving wife, stepdad to two kids. Then in swaggers Dusty (Wahlberg), the biological father: a surly, super-hung silverback intent on reclaiming his offspring. Anders’ emasculating dad-wars comedy lacks a killer set-piece, but still comes as a pleasant surprise. Reunited after The Other Guys , Ferrell and Wahlberg have formed an improbable, viable, very funny double act. Ferrell’s the wuss, Wahlberg the bad-ass; hackneyed personas maybe, but the chemistry clicks like LEGO. If it all ends in cornball reconciliation, the dumb, fuzzy smile it leaves suggests it’s well earned.

Related Articles

Movies | 03 06 2019

Movies | 06 09 2017

Movies | 15 06 2017

Movies | 15 02 2017

Movies | 01 10 2016

Movies | 24 04 2016

Movies | 04 01 2016

Movies | 18 12 2015

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, chaz's journal, great movies, contributors, daddy's home 2.

Now streaming on:

This movie is a tricky proposition for this reviewer, who also reviewed the first “Daddy’s Home” movie back in 2015. The good news is that I found the sequel better than the original—the writing sharper, the jokes fresher and smarter, the comic interaction between the lead characters consistently engaging. I mentioned this to my incredulous wife, who said, “So you’re saying it’s the ‘Godfather, Part 2’ of the ‘Daddy’s Home’ series.” I’m not sure if she was being sarcastic or not.

Here’s the tricky part. One reason I wasn’t crazy about “Daddy’s Home” was the relentless onslaught of “edgy” jokes in bad taste. This picture tones that down. There are, indeed, fewer jokes at the expense of kids in wheelchairs, and of dogs with open sores and mange. This, to me, is an improvement. But what if you, the reader, actually LIKE jokes about handicapped children and disgustingly pitiable sick dogs? You see the problem.

As for what “Daddy’s Home 2” does have, it’s an expansion of the family dynamic of the first film, which anyone familiar with the “Meet the Parents” films will recognize as an added-star-power strategy. In the post “Daddy’s Home” alliance between cool-bro dad Dusty ( Mark Wahlberg ) and winsome wimp stepdad Brad ( Will Ferrell ), a little discontent must fall. Here it arrives in the persons of granddads. Dusty’s pop is alpha-male ex-astronaut Kurt, played by Mel Gibson . Brad’s dad, Don, is a motormouth ultra-limp noodle with a liking for improv comedy, played by John Lithgow . Both granddads arrive at the airport simultaneously, and macho Kurt, who hasn’t seen Dusty in years, is hard-pressed to contain his disgust at the “co-dad” arrangement Dusty and Brad seem so happy in.

Surely the two very different personalities still, as one of the characters puts it, “harbor” some resentment toward each other. (The use and misuse of the word “harbor” becomes a semi-running joke, an almost sophisticated bit of linguistic humor that would absolutely not have floated in the first film.) Kurt is at first passive-aggressive—renting a house near a ski resort to better facilitate a “together Christmas” in the hopes of driving a wedge into Dusty and Brad’s relationship—and then just aggressive, encouraging one of Dusty’s biological children to take up turkey hunting. There are scenes in which both the two dads and the two granddads offer advice and strategies on ten-year-old or so Dylan’s emerging interest in girls, and later his ineptitude at bowling. Brad’s own slapstick ineptitude is highlighted when a runaway snowblower destroys a Christmas decoration display. It’s all pretty amiable and funny, and further intrigue is provided by Dusty’s new wife, Karen, a snooty author with supermodel looks and a snootier daughter, Adrianna, an age peer of Dylan and Megan, Dusty’s kids by Linda Cardellini ’s Sarah. Cardellini is given a little more to do in this picture than the first one, and that’s a plus too.

“You’ll laugh,” a friendly publicist assured me on my way into the theater, and I did. Not a huge amount, but enough that I have to adhere to our founder Roger’s rule of comedy assessment, which, most simply put, is that if a comedy made you laugh it did its job and you can’t front about it. I do have to admit I laughed a little less many of the times Gibson was on screen. I praised his work in last year’s tough action thriller “ Blood Father ,” in which he was very credible as a former criminal struggling with his demons as he tries to protect a wayward daughter. But watching him try to play a bullying character for laughs here left a bad taste in my mouth. His character here is a relentless womanizer, consistently targeting younger women. Knowing how this guy reacts in real life when he feels crossed by a younger girlfriend made it difficult for me to be amused by his portrayal of a grandfather who attempts to entertain some ten-year-olds by starting a joke “So two dead hookers wash up on shore…” And so on.

Your mileage may vary, and I’m sure I’ll hear about how it does in the comments. 

Glenn Kenny

Glenn Kenny was the chief film critic of Premiere magazine for almost half of its existence. He has written for a host of other publications and resides in Brooklyn. Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

Now playing

Find Me Falling

Monica castillo.

Brian Tallerico

Family Portrait

Rule of Two Walls

Isaac feldberg.

Simon Abrams

Peyton Robinson

Film credits.

Daddy's Home 2 (2017)

Rated PG-13 for suggestive material and some language.

100 minutes

Will Ferrell as Brad Whitaker

Mark Wahlberg as Dusty Mayron

Linda Cardellini as Sara Whitaker

John Cena as Roger

John Lithgow as Mr. Whitaker

Mel Gibson as Kurt Mayron

Alessandra Ambrosio as Karen Mayron

Owen Vaccaro as Dylan Mayron

Scarlett Estevez as Megan Mayron

Didi Costine as Adrianna

• Sean Anders

Writer (characters)

• Brian Burns
• John Morris

Cinematographer

• Julio Macat
• Brad Wilhite
• Michael Andrews

Latest blog posts

A Woman Without Peers: Gena Rowlands (1930-2024)

The Needle Drop Sessions: Pump Up the Volume & Untamed Heart

Locarno Film Festival 2024: Youth (Hard Times), Transamazonia, Moon

Thumbnails 8/15/24: Six Must-Reads You Don’t Want To Miss This Week

Daddy's Home Review

Ferrell and wahlberg go through the motions in this "dad vs. step-dad" comedy..

Daddy's Home is your typical case of "all the best parts are in the trailer." While the movie stars two funny leads, the story wreaks of Hollywood convention, and the jokes are average at best. Usually, it just feels like the writers are waiting for Ferrell and Wahlberg to spin straw into gold -- which sometimes they do, but not nearly enough to make the movie good. In the end, Daddy's Home is a far cry from Ferrell and Wahlberg's last team-up in The Other Guys.

In This Article

Where to Watch

More Reviews by Max Nicholson

Ign recommends.

Film Review: ‘Daddy’s Home’

A limp comedic reunion for Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, just in time for the holidays.

By Geoff Berkshire

Geoff Berkshire

Associate Editor, Features

• Sci-Fi Newbies Hope to Follow in ‘Game of Thrones’ Epic Emmy Footsteps 7 years ago
• ‘Rectify’ Star J. Smith-Cameron Breaks Down Final Season 7 years ago
• Bob Odenkirk Recalls His First Emmy Win 7 years ago

As Hollywood holiday offerings go, the forgettable comedy “Daddy’s Home” isn’t so much a lump of coal as an empty box. Providing a perfunctory platform to reteam Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg , whose odd coupling was put to far superior use in “The Other Guys,” the first PG-13 comedy from R-rated laffer auteur Sean Anders (“Horrible Bosses 2,” “That’s My Boy”) winds up an unpalatable mix with little to satisfy families or anyone who likes to laugh. Although Paramount’s Christmas Day release is sure to drum up some sales during the lucrative year-end season, audiences seeking a family-friendly Ferrell fix will quickly realize they should’ve stayed home and watched “Elf” instead.

The film’s nasty streak is established at the outset as walking doormat Brad (Ferrell) explains the difference between a father (someone who produces a child) and a dad (someone who actually nurtures a child). Although Brad desperately wants to be the latter, it would take a medical miracle for him ever to be the former, due to an accident involving a dental X-ray machine (“my testicles have been more decorative than anything else,” he says, setting the tone in an opening voiceover).

Related Stories

Take-two earnings emblematic of endless risk-taking in gaming biz, 'the artist' director michel hazanavicius says 'people have an issue addressing the genocide against jews'.

Instead he’s delighted to take on the role of stepdad to Dylan (Owen Wilder Vaccaro) and Megan (Scarlett Estevez), the two young children of his beautiful wife, Sarah (Linda Cardellini), from a previous marriage. The tykes are initially skeptical — Megan calls Brad a “little bitch” when he tears up after she invites him to a daddy-daughter dance — but he slowly wins them over with the help of his favorite guidebook, “Step by Stepdad.”

Popular on Variety

Enter the kids’ biological pop, Dusty (Wahlberg), an adventurer who has been out of the picture for years but races home when he discovers Brad is officially a stepdad. Sarah has concerns about her unreliable ex popping up in her new family’s life, but her kids are thrilled to have their motorcycle-riding, tall-tale-telling, uber-masculine dad back. And while the decidedly non-Alpha male Brad is understandably threatened, he also realizes the importance of Dusty spending time with his children and succumbs to the man’s clearly disingenuous flattery.

Hilarity is meant to ensue when Dusty attempts to undermine and embarrass Brad at every turn, and Brad’s behavior grows increasingly erratic as he’s overcome with neuroses. Unfortunately, the laughs never materialize. The sitcom-ready premise of the script by Anders, Brian Burns and John Morris would be right at home on network television, and yet the terminally bland execution is several notches below even the lowest rung on the small-screen ladder.

The pic’s comic set pieces range from CGI-enhanced slapstick — Brad loses control of Dusty’s motorcycle and drives into the house; Brad loses control of a skateboard and flies into a power line — to neutered versions of the typical raunchy shenanigans found in Anders’ previous work, culminating in Brad’s drunken buffoonery during halftime at a NBA playoff game. A trip to Dusty’s fertility-doctor friend (Bobby Cannavale) packs several humiliations in one, as the doc asks Dusty to expose his genitals to show Brad what he’s lacking and then asks Brad to produce a sperm sample in a room with a faulty window covering.

Combine that with roughly two dozen uses of a common barnyard epithet (including one in which Brad frets that the word is “inappropriate language” for children), the awkward sex-fueled anecdotes of Brad’s boss (Thomas Haden Church, looking bored), Dusty’s attempts to make Brad seem racist to a contractor (Hannibal Buress, looking lost), and Dylan punching a female bully in the face and calling her a bitch, and you’ve got a new definition of family entertainment.

It might qualify as edgy if it wasn’t all so tedious and trite. Ferrell and Wahlberg could play these broadly conceived characters in their sleep, which actually appears to be the case for long stretches of screen time here, and never duplicate the chemistry they demonstrated in “The Other Guys.” Cardellini is thoroughly wasted in a role that’s pure plot device. It’s not until John Cena shows up, in a clever cameo cannily playing off a memorable scene in “Trainwreck,” that true inspiration strikes. Appropriately enough, that happens right before the closing credits.

Tech package is workmanlike, reinforcing the impression that this was just a paycheck gig for all involved.

Reviewed at Paramount Studios, Los Angeles, Dec. 19, 2015. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 96 MIN.

• Production: A Paramount Pictures release of a Paramount Pictures and Red Granite Pictures presentation of a Gary Sanchez production. Produced by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy, John Morris. Executive producers, Riza Aziz, Joey McFarland, David Koplan, Kevin Messick, Jessica Elbaum, Sean Anders, Diana Pokorny.
• Crew: Directed by Sean Anders. Screenplay, Brian Burns, Sean Anders, John Morris, story by Burns. Camera (color), Julio Macat; editors, Eric Kissack, Brad Wilhite; music, Michael Andrews; music supervisor, Dave Jordan, JoJo Villanueva; production designer, Clayton Hartley; art director, Elliott Glick; set decorator, Jan Pascale; costume designer, Carol Ramsey; sound (Dolby Digital), David Wyman; supervising sound editors, Andrew DeCristofaro, Darren Warkentin; re-recording mixers, Terry Porter, Anna Behlmer; visual effects supervisor, Paul Linden; visual effects, Atomic Fiction; stunt coordinator, Todd Bryant; assistant director, Daniel Silverberg; casting, Allison Jones.
• With: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Thomas Haden Church, Scarlett Estevez, Owen Wilder Vacarro, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Cannavale, Bill Burr, Jamie Denbo, Paul Scheer, John Cena.

More from Variety

Fox surprises comic-con attendee with $3,000 prize at ‘universal basic guys’ panel, what neon’s ‘longlegs,’ a24’s ‘civil war’ demonstrate about indie distribution power, how lisa vanderpump and gordon ramsay set aside their egos to decide whose competitor won ‘food stars’ season 2’s $250,000 prize, why the hipgnosis drama yielded an unexpected ending, more from our brands, from k-pop to country, these are the best target exclusive vinyl albums to shop, this new american rye whiskey was finished in rare japanese casks, tom brady ready for ‘hot seat’ again in fox analyst job, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, community movie update: yvette nicole brown confirms she’s returning as shirley.

Jason's Movie Blog

A movie blog for movie reviews, trailers, and more.

Daddy’s Home Review

DADDY’S NOT HOME

It’s been interesting to watch comedic actor Will Ferrell rise and fall over the years with his movies. Films like Night at the Roxbury, Anchorman , and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby have become iconic to Ferrell’s name. However, other movies like Semi-pro, The Campaign, Casa de Mi Padre, and Get Hard have proven the actor (who’s undeniably talented) has wasted his talents on unsavory / mediocre film endeavors. Interestingly, back in 2010, Ferrell teamed up with action / drama actor Mark Wahlberg in the collaboration team up comedy The Other Guys. The mixture, while at odd first, worked for the movie, proving that Wahlberg could enter in the foray of the comedy genre (see his performance in the movie Ted ). Now, the pair (Ferrell and Wahlberg) have returned again on-screen with another comedy team up in the movie Daddy’s Home . Does the film find comedic gold in its scenario or is it a passable endeavor from the duo?

Desperately trying to the perfect model stepfather, Brad (Will Ferrell) is hoping to impress his two stepchildren, Megan (Scarlett Estevez) and Dylan (Owen Vaccaro), by always being assertively kind as they refuse for him to be their fatherly parental figure. Unable to make a difference, Brad encounters an unexpected challenge when Dusty (Mark Wahlberg), the biological father of the two kids, returns to town after a long absence, forcing the mild-mannered man to welcome in the unruly alpha male into the family once again. While wife Sarah (Linda Cardellini) tries to ease Brad tension, the meekly man is faced with uniquely charming personality in Dusty, who tries to reassert himself back into family and win over his kids with gifts, bribes, and personally attention. Brad, struggling to maintain his authority, is almost powerless against Dusty’s cunning and likeable ways, with attempts to match the same bravado and masculinity in order to reclaim his stance in his family’s dynamics.

THE GOOD / THE BAD

Like opening paragraph says, I belive that Will Ferrell is a talented individual when it comes to the goofy slapstick aspect of comedy movies. Of late, however, Ferrell’s recent movies (to me) have been medicore at best, striving for cheap laughs with his films. I did like The Other Guys with Ferrell teaming up with Mark Wahlberg as the pair lent their “tit” for “tat” chemistry with their on-screen characters, making the movie funny to watch and to laugh outloud. After watching the trailer for Daddy’s Home , I was actually excited to see this movie, feeling that comedy duo of Ferrell and Wahlberg would be back in similar fashion to The Other Guys . However, that’s not the case with Daddy’s Home as the movie is a very bland movie experience that’s inconsistently funny, a thinly drawn plotline, and (as a whole) very formulaic.

Sam Anders, who previously directed such comedy film endeavors as That’s My Boy and Horrible Bosses 2 , plays double duty in production of Daddy’s Home, acting as both director for the film and for the film’s script, which he was aided by John Morris and Brian Burns. Nevertheless, Daddy’s Home is a movie that’s almost completely mundane, drawing upon the commonplace (and stereotypical) fatherly figure of competiveness and masculinity. I’m not saying that this is a bad premise (it’s actually a pretty good setup for a movie), but Daddy’s Home just feels banal in striking up effectiveness in its narration. In truth, the movie is pretty predictable, running the film’s three acts on clockwork timing as a viewer will (mostly likely) already guess what’s going to happen before it actually does happen in the movie. The movie’s narration even loses track of its own minor subplots, which is hard for a film that has a one-dimensional structured storyline.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment in Daddy’s Home is in its comedy. The movie just simply can’t find comedic identity (tonal-wise), balancing the right values of family sentimentality and hearty laughable moments. Like the movie’s weak narration, the comedy is pretty vanilla as the movie wants to be PG kid friendly and R-rated adult raunchy at the same time; only to come up short with a PG-13 rating. Thus, I felt that the comedy aspect of the movie was constantly at war with itself and ultimately became very bland, with Anders and his team trying to strike middle ground between child friendly and adult oriented jokes. This, in turn, means that Ferrell and Wahlberg are somewhat restricted in the film, holding back on their more raunchier physical/ verbal comedy that probably what most people (including myself) wanted to see in Daddy’s Home . In short, Daddy’s Home is mostly unfunny with an only a handful of jokes and gags that give a viewer a slight chuckle, but that’s about it. As a side note, most of the funniest parts of the movie are mostly shown in the movie’s trailers.

By and large, Daddy’s Home pits Will Ferrell against Mark Wahlberg as each actor plays to their strengths in their character’s persona. Ferrell pulls off the straight-laced and mild-mannered stepfather of the family in Brad Whitaker with Ferrell bring his inherit goofiness to the proceedings. In contrast to Ferrell’s Brad (but in similar fashion), Wahlberg pulls off the beefy and scheming in Dusty Mayron with Wahlberg bring his own likeable charm and snarky bravado to his character. Combined both Ferrell and Wahlberg shared a sense of chemistry with each other on-screen (which helps the movie), but, as I said above, their characters or the actors themselves seem too restraint in the movie. This results in the both actors (who are pretty funny when teamed up together) just feel vaguely flat with their respective characters (as a whole).

Meanwhile, actress Linda Cardellini gets the job done as Sarah (Brad’s new wife and Dusty’s old wife), though she doesn’t get to do much other than to act flustered and angry at the two men in her life. Similarly, the youngsters of the feature Scarlett Estevez’s Megan and Owen Vaccaro’s Dylan spend most of their on-screen time furthering character developments for Brad and Dusty and not-so-much on their own. However, they do get a one or two kid friendly one-liner jokes to say for each throughout the movie.

The rest of Daddy’s Home supporting cast comes from a pool of some recognizable faces, delivering “some” chuckles here and there in an otherwise bland comedy film. This includes Hannibal Buress, Bobby Cannavale, and Jamie Denbo in their small respective roles. However, the scene-stealer of Daddy’s Home’s minor characters comes from Brad’s Boss, Leo, who’s is played by actor Thomas Hayden Church. Lastly, while Church’s Leo is pretty funny (going off on long-winded dialogues scenes about his bizarre life and saying some odd things), a cameo appearance before the film’s end credits, to me, offers the best laugh-out-loud moment of the movie (which is kind of sad for the movie in general really).

FINAL THOUGHTS

It’s a dad vs. stepdad in Sam Ander’s Daddy’s Home. The movie reteams Ferrell and Wahlberg together again and their on-screen chemistry definitely shows and plays to the movie’s strengths. However, Daddy’s Home is just simply lackluster. Its premise is interesting, but the final product movie is too formulaic, its two leading actors are indeed talented, but are, more or less, restraint in the movie, and the film’s comedy is supposed to be hilarious, but just comes off as being bland and unfunny. To me, it could have been a whole lot better and was a disappointing misfire of a movie. As a result, Daddy’s Home cobbles up some merit as a “passable” comedy rental for some, while simply skipping the feature entirely is the best option (just wait for it to come on TV). In the end, Daddy’s Home is far cry from the Ferrell and Wahlberg’s team up in The Other Guys .

2.4 out of 5 (Skip It)

Reviewed on december 24th, 2015.

Daddy’s Home is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, crude and suggestive content, and for language

Share this:

Pingback: Top Ten Worst Movies of 2015 | Jason's Movie Blog

Pingback: Daddy’s Home 2 (2017) Review | Jason's Movie Blog

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Discover more from jason's movie blog.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

How to Prepare Your Kids for School After a Summer of Screen Time

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

Daddy's home.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 35 Reviews
• Kids Say 104 Reviews

Parents Say

Based on 35 parent reviews

Parent Reviews

Report this review.

• Too much swearing

This title has:

Funny but sometimes crude

• Great messages
• Great role models
• Too much sex
• Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Daddy's home

Good fresh will ferrell comedy, had some good funny moments.

• Too much violence

Beware trailer shows good and funny parts !!

Really funny movie, not very good. maybe a 2 star., left out lakers cheerleaders under sex description, what to watch next.

The Other Guys

Best Classic Comedy Films

Related topics.

• Brothers and Sisters

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Screen Rant

Daddy's home review.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

“Miserable F--k”: George Clooney Reflects On Highly Publicized Feud With Oscar-Nominated Director 25 Years Later

New mandalorian movie footage teases a massive change for grogu, john cena's new comedy movie continues his dismal 2024 rotten tomatoes streak, daddy's home is a formulaic will ferrell comedy, but enough jokes hit their mark to make it a passable one..

Daddy's Home stars Will Ferrell as Brad, a kind-hearted smooth jazz radio station manager who aspires to be both a good husband to his new wife, Sarah (Linda Cardellini), and a beloved stepfather to Sarah's kids, Megan (Scarlett Estevez) and Dylan (Owen Vaccaro). However, just as Brad starts to become accepted as part of the family by his step-children, Sarah's ex-husband Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) - the complete antithesis to Brad - rolls into town and convinces Brad to let him stay at their home for a week or so to catch up with Sarah and the kids.

Dusty thereafter (not so subtly) begins to compete with Brad for his children's affections, at the same time that he takes steps to convince Sarah that he's done with his freewheeling lifestyle and is ready to lead a more domestic existence. Brad is thus forced to engage Dusty in an old-fashioned "dad-off", in an effort to prove that he's the better father of the pair - but which one of them will emerge victorious?

Daddy's Home  was directed by Sean Anders, who also co-penned the film with his writing partner John Morris ( Horrible Bosses 2 , Dumb and Dumber To ) and the movie/TV comedy scribe Brian Burns ( Blue Bloods ). Nevertheless, Daddy's Home adheres foremost to now well-established conventions of the Will Ferrell school of comedy. As such, Daddy's Home is a farce with a loosely-structured through line - one that lightly satirizes modern concepts of fatherhood and masculinity - and a narrative that amounts to a series of improvisation-friendly skits and comedy sketches that are strung together just  close enough to create a three-act storyline. While Daddy's Home  isn't consistently funny and lacks the inspired mad comical spark that Ferrell's best comedies have boasted (see Anchorman ), it doesn't fall flat on its face, either.

Part of the reason Daddy's Home  doesn't rise above the level of being a middle of the road comedy is that, tone-wise, the film fails to strike a balance between the relatively sentimental and family-friendly approach of a PG-Rated Ferrell comedy (like Kicking & Screaming ) and the more raunchy, frequently R-Rated comedy style that Anders and Morris are known for. The movie thus seesaws awkwardly between generic, but harmless, physical/verbal comedy and family melodrama that's intended to be appropriate for a younger audience and equally over the top (if not so inventive) adult humor.  Daddy's Home  works best when it focuses instead on serving up the brand of irreverent and absurdist humor that Ferrell and his frequent collaborators specialize at - with much-needed assistance from the supporting cast (more on them later).

Anders and director of photography Julio Mascat ( Pitch Perfect ) put together some memorable visual comedy gags and stage the various slapstick sequences in Daddy's Home in a competent fashion, but for the most part the laughs in the film come from the dialogue-driven exchanges between characters. Nevertheless, Ferrell and Wahlberg manage to deliver solid physical comedy in their respective styles as required (Wahlberg playing off his buff physique, Ferrell playing up his physical aloofness), while at the same time Anders and his collaborators occasionally get more creative with their own storytelling approach in the film (see their comical usage of montage). However, by and large, Daddy's Home isn't all that sophisticated, in terms of its craftsmanship.

Ferrell and Wahlberg showed that they have good onscreen comedic chemistry in The Other Guys , so that same chemistry serves them (and the film as a whole) well in Daddy's Home - allowing Ferrell to effectively portray the mild-mannered straight man (who, of course, eventually loses his cool) against Wahlberg as the brawny and scheming, though unreliable, ex-husband who threatens to ruin Ferrell's newfound life. Meanwhile, Linda Cardellini ( Bloodline ) doesn't get a lot to do other than act flustered by the behavior of the men in her life, but she fortunately doesn't play a nagging wife stereotype, either. Similarly, the youngsters Scarlett Estevez and Owen Vaccaro spend most of their screen time furthering Brad and Dusty's character development or delivering familiar kids-based jokes (see: having the kids sporadically drop obscenities).

The supporting cast members in  Daddy's Home  are the real stand-out stars of the film (as mentioned earlier), thanks to the efforts of talented comedic performers and character actors such as Hannibal Buress ( Broad City ), Bobby Cannavale ( Ant-Man ), and Jamie Denbo ( Orange is the New Black ) - though the scene-stealer is easily Thomas Hayden Church ( Easy A ) as Brad's boss, Leo (who, among other things, likes to go off on long-winded tangents about his bizarre love life). There are likewise a handful of memorable cameo appearances - with the best of them arriving near the film's end - that help to spice up what is otherwise a routine mainstream comedy offering.

Daddy's Home is a formulaic Will Ferrell comedy, but enough jokes hit their mark to make it a passable one, when all is said and done. The film emulates the style and approach of Ferrell's past collaborations with director Adam McKay in particular ( Anchorman 1 & 2 , Talladega Nights , The Other Guys , etc.), but winds up feeling more like a pale imitation of that duo's best work. All the same, those moviegoers who are in the mood for some silly (and, for the most part, brainless) laughs over the winter holiday season might find the remedy they're looking for in Ferrell and Wahlberg's battle of the dads.

Daddy's Home is now playing in U.S. theaters nationwide. It is 96 minutes long and is Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, crude and suggestive content, and for language.

Let us know what you thought of the film in the comment section.

Daddy's Home

Daddy's Home is a 2015 comedy starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. Ferrell stars as radio host Brad Whitaker, who is desperately trying to get his stepkids to accept him. But his hard work goes to waste when Dusty Mayron, the kids' actual father, comes home. Despite receiving mixed reviews, a sequel was released in 2017.

• Movie Reviews
• 2.5 star movies

Find Family Movies, Movie Ratings and Movie Reviews

Daddy’s Home Parent Guide

The movie consists primarily of escalating situations of one-upmanship where women and children are the sought-for trophies. the real danger of situations is ignored and the comedy is often crass..

A stepdad (Will Ferrel) finds it tough trying to fill the shoes of the man who went before -- especially when that former father (Mark Wahlberg) re-enters the lives of his ex-wife (Linda Cardellini) and children, and challenges him for the position of head of the house.

Release date December 25, 2015

Run Time: 96 minutes

Official Movie Site

Get Content Details

The guide to our grades, parent movie review by donna gustafson.

Viewing Daddy’s Home is akin to being a spectator at a cockfight . In the ancient and usually illegal practice, two roosters are put in the same pen where a battle-to-the-death ensues, thanks to the birds’ instinctive male dominance behavior. In the movie, two men – vying for the affections of the same mother and children, engage in the most ridiculous stunts, thanks (I can only assume) to behavior driven by testosterone. Neither sport is particularly pleasant to watch.

All the same, the screenwriters here are game to pit softhearted, dependable and eager-to-please Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell), against the street-tough, reckless and self-centered Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberger). Despite Sara’s (Linda Cardellini) assurance that she prefers Brad’s stable support to Dusty’s passionate unpredictability, the new husband and the children (Owen Vaccaro and Scarlett Estevez) are still blown away by the ex-husband’s “cool factor”. And that is when jealousy (and stupidity) rears its ugly head.

As well, comedy is derived through sexual innuendo and references. A visit to a fertility clinic is especially abundant in crass comments as a very unprofessional doctor examines male body parts and suggests collecting medical samples. (Of course, somebody gets caught with his pants down…)

This tediousness continues with poor advice about handling grade school bullies. Language includes name-calling, mild and moderate profanities, as well as terms of deity. Some characters tell inappropriate stories. And a frustrated character resorts to bribes and a drunken temper tantrum.

While I feel sorry for the roosters thrown into the cockpit for the sake of amusement, I have no such sympathy for the characters in this movie that doesn’t even provide much entertainment. All I’m left with is wondering what was this film’s intended audience? Is it macho men that like to see each other strut their stuff? (You’ve gotta admit, it is Brad and the other male characters in this script that admire Dusty most.) Is it henpecked men cheering on the timid male? (After all, it’s Brad’s passive philosophy that eventually pulls a happy ending out of this dysfunctional tale.) It certainly can’t be children—their only role is to be the rope in this tug-of-war. And I’m pretty sure this won’t appeal to my gender either. Despite centuries of history and literature trying to convince females otherwise, most of us, like Sara depicted here, are more embarrassed than flattered by this kind of attention. Perhaps it is also time to outlaw the antiquated idea of using people (in this case, woman and children) as trophies.

About author

Donna Gustafson

Daddy’s home rating & content info.

Why is Daddy’s Home rated PG-13? Daddy’s Home is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for thematic elements, crude and suggestive content, and for language.

Violence: As two male characters compete for the attention of a female, they engage in many stunts and dangerous behaviors. Theses incidents are depicted humorously and include riding a motorcycle through a house, skateboarding and zip lining—property damage and minor injury result. A man accidentally touches power lines and is electrocuted – he is resuscitated using CPR because his heart has stopped (also played for laughs). A young boy is bullied so adults teach him to fight. Characters, both young and old, get into a fight and punch one another – including a boy who hits and kicks a girl. A child draws violent pictures of her stepfather. Accidental exposure to x-rays leaves a man infertile. Characters argue and make verbal threats. A drunken character has a tantrum. Characters are accidentally hit and injured by a basketball. A couple of men tell non-detailed war stories. Adults try to manipulate the affection of children through promises and bribes.

Sexual Content: The sexual behavior of animals (a dog and rhinos in a documentary) is shown. Defecating and urinating is joked about and a dog is shown peeing. A man shares several stories about inappropriate sexual relationships in his former marriages. A shirtless man is seen a couple of times, and another is caught with his pants down (no nudity show) in a medical office. Frequent sexual innuendo and references are heard throughout the script. Many crass jokes and rude slang terms are used during a visit to a fertility doctor while he examines a man’s private parts. Collection of sperm samples is alluded to. Crude terms for sex are also used. Some scantily clothed cheerleaders are seen. A man strips off his shirt while dancing and throws it into the crowd. A tampon is shown and referred to humorously. Abstract nude paintings are shown in the background of some scenes. Characters embrace and kiss.

Language: Mild and moderate profanities, scatological slang and terms of deity are used frequently. Crude sexual slang and anatomical words are heard. Characters call each other names.

Alcohol / Drug Use: Characters drink beer in social settings and at a bar. An angry man gets drunk and becomes disorderly.

Page last updated January 29, 2018

Daddy’s Home Parents' Guide

Brad reads a lot of self-help books to try to become the perfect stepfather. How much help does he get from this advice? Is it possible for a book to teach you everything you need to know about the real world? Is it possible to be perfect at anything?

How does Dusty manipulate Brad? Why does the stepfather fall for his lies? Why won’t Brad stick up for himself? Where does he feel his lack of confidence comes from? When Brad and Dusty later try to help their young son stand up to bullies at school, how do their very different approaches conflict with each other? What advice would you give to someone dealing with bullies?

In the movie, Dusty’s machismo wins over many friends. Still, Sara claims she would rather have a kind and dependable man in her life. If you are a man, what things do you think would impress a woman? If you’re a woman, what do you look for in a man? What type of qualities do you think are the most important for raising children?

The most recent home video release of Daddy’s Home movie is March 22, 2016. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Daddy’s Home Release Date: 22 March 2016 Daddy’s Home releases to home video (Blu-ray/DVD) with the following special features: - The Making of Daddy’s Home - Halftime Stunt - Daddy-Off - Hannibal Buress: The Perfect Houseguest - Daddy Daughter Dance - Child’s Play - Tony Hawk: Skater Double - Blooper (HD) - Deleted Scenes (HD) Note: Releasing February 20, 2018: A 2-movie package featuring Daddy’s Home and Daddy’s Home 2 .

Related home video titles:

Two elderly bachelors become father figures to their neglected nephew in Secondhand Lions . A father makes huge sacrifices to create a better life for his son in The Pursuit of Happyness .

‘Daddy’s Home’ movie review: Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell in mild family comedy

• March 31, 2016
• ★★½ , Movie Reviews

In the new comedy Daddy’s Home , Will Ferrell plays Brad Whitaker, a loving, doting stepfather who takes pride in raising youngsters Megan ( Scarlett Estevez ) and Dylan ( Owen Vaccaro ) with wife Sara ( Linda Cardellini ). They’re the children he wasn’t able to father naturally due to infertility.

Brad’s been at it for years, but it’s never easy. At the outset of the film, he’s ecstatic when Dylan opens up and finally comes to him for advice.

But when bad boy biological dad Dusty Mayron ( Mark Wahlberg ) shows up in town and immediately garners all the love and attention Brad so desperately craves, stepdad Brad is demoted to a bench role.

This, I thought, was surprisingly deep and complex subject matter for a Will Ferrell comedy, and a situation that must be familiar to a good number of the film’s viewers, whether they identify with the kids or the parents.

Farrell’s Brad is a genuinely lovable good-guy dad, at least at the film’s outset, the kind any kid should be proud to call their father, regardless of genetics. The story of how Brad ultimately wins his affection of his young stepchildren, while coming to terms with the fact that he can never truly replace their biological father, might make for touching subject matter.

Of course, this is also a Will Ferrell comedy, directed by the guy who previously made Horrible Bosses 2  and That’s My Boy .

You know what that means: a dad vs. dad rivalry full of slapstick violence, machismo posturing, drunken debauchery, a present-buying competition for love, and the kind of sitcom contrivance that results in bad dad Dusty actually living  with the new family years after bailing out on his wife and kids.  

It ends with an upbeat dance number, and I guess that all the complex stepdad issues the film has previously raised have been resolved. Waitaminute… yes, indeed they have, the film explains to us via epilogue shortly thereafter.

But maybe I’m expecting too much out my Will Ferrell comedy.  Daddy’s Home  is what I’d call amiable, with two emphatic lead performances that give the script everything they’ve got. Ferrell is more grounded here than usual, and while Wahlberg’s character is a sleazeball and an irresponsible father, he’s got undeniable charisma. By the end, we kinda like him too.

But Daddy’s Home  is never all that funny, unless you find the sight of Ferrell’s character, trying to impress the kids with some of his old skateboarding moves, gets too much air off the half-pipe and flies up into some power lines, electrocuting himself and hitting the ground with a thud. Walhberg’s bad dad uses the moment to educate the family on safety procedure. Hah, hah.

Get Hard , the other Ferrell-headlining big screen comedy released in 2015, contained more genuine laughs, as ill-received as it was. So did A Deadly Adoption , the Ferrell-Wiig true-blue Lifetime movie that wasn’t even supposed to be a comedy (or was it?)

I don’t think Ferrell gets enough credit for the chances his takes with his comedy, but Daddy’s Home is one of his safer and least remarkable outings, nearing dangerously close to Eddie Murphy  Daddy Day Care  territory. Stick with The Other Guys  for your Ferrell-Wahlberg fix. 

Daddy's Home

• 2015 , 2016 , Alessandra Ambrosio , Andrea Vittoria Alvarado , Bill Burr , Billy Slaughter , Bobby Cannavale , Brian Burns , Daddy's Home , Devin Posey , Hannibal Buress , Jacquelyn Twodat Jackson , Jamie Denbo , Jeff Caperton , John Cena , John L. Armijo , John Morris , Linda Cardellini , Mark L. Young , Mark Wahlberg , Nazeema Bartek , Owen Vaccaro , Paul Scheer , Sadarias Harrell , Scarlett Estevez , Scott Gulino , Sean Anders , Thomas Haden Church , Tiffany Forest , Will Ferrell

SHARE THIS POST

Jason Pirodsky

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Latest News

‘Waves’ (Vlny) movie review: The end of Prague Spring through the lens of Czechoslovak Radio

‘Alien: Romulus’ movie review: Gory, grimy sequel riffs on Ridley Scott’s 1979 original

‘Fly Me to the Moon’ movie review: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum in bonkers NASA rom-com

‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ movie review: Sarnoski’s soulful horror film the best Quiet Place yet

‘Borderlands’ movie review: Eli Roth’s unskippable 90-minute cutscene a regrettably faithful adaptation

‘Trap’ movie review: Josh Hartnett deviously good in tense M. Night Shyamalan thriller

‘Blade Runner 2099’ to film in central Prague, Karlín neighborhoods in August

Czech film and TV producers push for boost in production incentives

‘King’: Shah Rukh Khan eyes return to Prague to film new Bollywood action blockbuster

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ movie review: Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman enter the MCU

Johnny Depp’s new girlfriend is based in Prague, and the couple met at the Karlovy Vary film fest

‘MaXXXine’ movie review: Ti West’s trilogy capper fails to live up to X and Pearl

Follow the prague reporter:.

About | Contact | Terms | Privacy

© 2005-2023 The Prague Reporter. All rights reserved.

Shudder Picks Up Horror Movie ‘Daddy’s Head’ for Premiere in October

The all-horror streaming service Shudder has picked up North American rights to Benjamin Barfoot’s Daddy’s Head , Screen Daily reports , with the premiere set for October 11 .

The outlet details, “Barfoot’s ( Double Date ) sophomore feature stars Julia Brown from BBC wartime series World On Fire and Rupert Turnbull from family musical Nativity Rocks! in the story of a boy and his recently widowed stepmother who are visited by a strange creature that appears to mimic a horrifying version of the boy’s recently deceased father.”

“ Daddy’s Head is a very important film for me as it intertwines personal feelings about family, grief and trauma with my desire to experiment with the horror genre,” said Barfoot.

Check out a first look image up above and expect the trailer soon.

Matthew James Wilkinson and Patrick Tolan of Stigma Films produced the film.

Writer in the horror community since 2008. Editor in Chief of Bloody Disgusting. Owns Eli Roth's prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Has four awesome cats. Still plays with toys.

You may like

‘Influencer’ Explores the Connection Between Manipulation and Murder [The Lady Killers Podcast]

‘Horror’s Greatest’ – A New Shudder Series from the Producers of ‘101 Scariest Movie Moments’ [Trailer]

Spider One’s New Horror Movie ‘Little Bites’ Hitting Theaters in October

Fede Alvarez Explains Why ‘Alien: Romulus’ Was Originally Going Direct-to-Hulu

The first film in the Predator franchise in the wake of Disney taking over 20th Century Fox, Prey went direct-to-Hulu back in 2022, but the Alien franchise’s first film under the Disney umbrella is getting a big theatrical release this weekend. But that wasn’t always the case.

As you may recall, A lien: Romulus was originally announced as a Hulu movie, and director Fede Alvarez explains what changed – and when it changed – in a new chat with Variety .

It was back in 2021 that Alien: Romulus was planning a Hulu debut, which Alvarez says was “a reaction to theaters being completely gone” at the time, deep in the heart of the pandemic.

“That decision was not made at the point where theaters were healthy,” Alvarez explains to Variety. “[But] it was always going to be an ambitious movie for [a streaming] platform.”

He continues, “I remember making an announcement to everybody that this movie was going in theaters, and there was a big cheer. I was like, wow, even the gaffer cares that this goes into theaters!”

The pivot to theatrical for Alien: Romulus looks to have been a smart one on the part of 20th Century Studios, as the film opened to $6.5 million in Thursday previews last night.

The Hollywood Reporter notes , “ Romulus bit off a strong $6.5 million in Thursday previews, putting the highly anticipated August event on course to open to a better-than-expected $40 million-plus in another win for the Disney film empire and the summer box office overall.”

In Alien: Romulus , “While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.”

Cailee Spaeny  ( The Craft: Legacy ,  Pacific Rim Uprising )  leads the cast alongside  Isabela Merced,   David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn  and  Aileen Wu .

Fede Alvarez co-wrote the script with  Rodo Sayagues  ( Evil Dead ).  Ridley Scott  is on board as producer for the film, the first movie in the franchise to be released by Disney.

Alien: Romulus  is based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett.

‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Will Be a Theatrical (and IMAX) Release

‘The Front Room’ – New Trailer for A24 Horror Movie from the Eggers Brothers

Bath & Body Works and Netflix’s “Stranger Things” Unveil Second Half of Limited Collection

‘Terrifier 3’ to World Premiere at Fantastic Fest on Opening Night!

‘Alien: Romulus’ Review – An Immersive, Visceral Salute to the Franchise’s Greatest Hits

• Cast & crew

A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern. A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern. A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern.

• Halina Reijn
• Nicole Kidman
• Antonio Banderas
• Harris Dickinson
• 1 nomination

Top cast 35

• Intern Rose

• Giggling Girl

• Nude cult member

• Uber Driver
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

2024 Venice Film Festival Guide

• December 20, 2024 (United States)
• United States
• Netherlands
• New York City, New York, USA (street scenes)
• Man Up Film
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 54 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.