Review: Daddy's Home (2015)

I’m a real sucker for a comedy, and if it doesn’t contain James Franco, even better, but Daddy’s Home just had a really awkward release date. Between Star Wars and all the Oscar nominated movies, I didn’t even pretend I was going to watch this at the cinema. Instead, I waited for the DVD release and a rainy Sunday evening.   I really wanted to see this but like Allie is just came out at the wrong time!

Brad (Will Ferrell) is a Step Dad to his wife Sara’s (Linda Cardellini) two children. During the opening credits, we see Brad progress through the children’s family drawings. He starts off dead, in many creative ways, has poop for hair, but is eventually accepted. Things are going great until the children’s biological father Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) shows up uninvited. Dusty is threatened by a new father figure figure being in the picture, and his presence threatens to destroy all of Brad’s hard work.

From the trailer I kind of got the feeling that this wasn’t going to be up there with the likes of Anchorman or Ted for me. It’s always a shame when all the funny parts are in the trailer. That’s kind of what happened here. The movie was enjoyable enough, and there were plenty of jokes and gags from start to finish, but a large majority of them just fell flat. There’s some pretty funny lines poking fun at Frozen at least.  I remember laughing quite a lot throughout this, however I can't remember many of them now which implies that maybe this isn't very memorable.  I am ashamed to stay that I laughed out loud at the motorbike scene, it shouldn't have been funny but I couldn't stop laughing.

For the most part, I just found myself disappointed, and then I started doing what you should never do with comedies like this. I started over analysing everything, and then I couldn’t stop myself. I got more and more annoyed with Sara’s character, who was nothing more than scenery for the entire movie. If she really didn’t want Dusty there, could she not have just told him to leave?! Oh, I hate myself for being picky like this.  She was a pain in the a$$ just make a decision already!!

Anyway, whilst the movie wasn’t very funny, it was entertaining enough, and I have a real soft spot for Will Ferrell so I stuck it out for him. I wanted the good guy to win. What took me by surprise was the final part of the movie at the Daddy-Daughter dance. It was about ten minutes long and I was laughing out loud for the entire time. What just happened?! This movie went from dull to hilarious out of absolutely nowhere.  This was a great scene, but it didn't beat the basketball scene, I actually cried real tears watching that scene.

Which left me even more disappointed in a sense. It had finally found that humorous soft spot, and then it was all over. This was going to be a 4/10 for me, but that final part and the amazing cameo right at the end was enough to give it a whole point more. Seriously. That cameo, man.  Amazing!