Movie Review: Daddy's Home (2015)
Synopsis: Unable to have kids of his own due to a dental accident, Brad Whitaker becomes a father for the first time when he marries a divorced woman with two kids. While things were rough at first, the children finally are beginning to accept him as part of their family. However, when their biological father, Dusty, finds out his ex-wife re-married, he shows up at their door and immediately begins to sabotage what Brad worked so hard to achieve.
Who's in it? The movie stars Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Owen Vaccaro, Scarlett Estevez and Hannibal Buress.
Review: My wife and I originally tried to watch this film a few weeks ago, when we got as a free DVD rental when we ordered a pizza. However, that DVD didn't work properly so we ended up returning it and got it through Netflix instead. We finally had an opportunity to watch the film last night and, overall, I have to say we enjoyed it.
To tell you the truth, I had some doubts about this film. Will Ferrell has had some great movies. But, he's also had quite a few films I just didn't enjoy all that much. And, since I'm not a huge fan of comedies to begin with, I wasn't sure if this movie would live up to the hype. I'm glad to say I was wrong.
Ferrell is a little over the top when it comes to his Brad Whitaker character and it would have been nice to see him tone it down a little bit. It's one thing to have him be a bit of a wuss, especially compared to Wahlberg's Dusty. But, at times, he seemed almost child-like and his excessive emotions were irritating to the point it made me wonder if Sara (Cardellini) just married him for his money.
That being said, mostly because Wahlberg does an excellent job keeping his character somewhat grounded while everyone else seems to be fawning over him, the pairing between the two and the differences (and similarities) between the two characters did lead to some very funny moments.
I think the thing that really won me over with this movie is the way Brad, who is obviously the underdog, would seem to gain some sort of momentum when trying to outdo his rival only to have something go wrong or have Dusty one-up him at the last second. And, this wasn't always because of Dusty's interference either. A lot of the time, it was simply Brad trying to be a hero and do something he had no business doing (which, again, really makes me wonder how he landed Sara in the first place).
As a result of this, while the ending was a little predictable (though I did like the John Cena cameo at the very end), the overall movie didn't seem to get bogged down with cliches and old jokes nearly as much as other films in this genre. My wife and I had fun watching the film because of that.
Final Opinion: Comedy movies still aren't my first choice for movie nights with the wife. But, this film exceeded my expectations and I probably will watch the sequel when it comes out on DVD.
My Grade: B
Who's in it? The movie stars Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Owen Vaccaro, Scarlett Estevez and Hannibal Buress.
Review: My wife and I originally tried to watch this film a few weeks ago, when we got as a free DVD rental when we ordered a pizza. However, that DVD didn't work properly so we ended up returning it and got it through Netflix instead. We finally had an opportunity to watch the film last night and, overall, I have to say we enjoyed it.
To tell you the truth, I had some doubts about this film. Will Ferrell has had some great movies. But, he's also had quite a few films I just didn't enjoy all that much. And, since I'm not a huge fan of comedies to begin with, I wasn't sure if this movie would live up to the hype. I'm glad to say I was wrong.
Ferrell is a little over the top when it comes to his Brad Whitaker character and it would have been nice to see him tone it down a little bit. It's one thing to have him be a bit of a wuss, especially compared to Wahlberg's Dusty. But, at times, he seemed almost child-like and his excessive emotions were irritating to the point it made me wonder if Sara (Cardellini) just married him for his money.
That being said, mostly because Wahlberg does an excellent job keeping his character somewhat grounded while everyone else seems to be fawning over him, the pairing between the two and the differences (and similarities) between the two characters did lead to some very funny moments.
I think the thing that really won me over with this movie is the way Brad, who is obviously the underdog, would seem to gain some sort of momentum when trying to outdo his rival only to have something go wrong or have Dusty one-up him at the last second. And, this wasn't always because of Dusty's interference either. A lot of the time, it was simply Brad trying to be a hero and do something he had no business doing (which, again, really makes me wonder how he landed Sara in the first place).
As a result of this, while the ending was a little predictable (though I did like the John Cena cameo at the very end), the overall movie didn't seem to get bogged down with cliches and old jokes nearly as much as other films in this genre. My wife and I had fun watching the film because of that.
Final Opinion: Comedy movies still aren't my first choice for movie nights with the wife. But, this film exceeded my expectations and I probably will watch the sequel when it comes out on DVD.
My Grade: B
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