It's comedy vs. step-comedy in erratic 'Daddy's Home'
It might sound odd to compliment a silly Will Ferrell comedy for its restraint, but here goes:
Sean Anders' "Daddy's Home" shows such unusual restraint in its use of stock characters and broad, comic situations that it generates Apatowian levels of empathy for everybody.
"Daddy's Home" won't surprise anyone with its casting - Mark Wahlberg as a bad boy with greasy hair and Ferrell as a naive, goody-two-shoes - or with its simplistic plot of two dads fighting for the affections of their kids.
Yet, the filmmakers keep the acutely comic curveballs coming, and curiosity convinces us to continue.
"I did not see that coming!" seems to be the most repeated line of dialogue in the screenplay (concocted by four writers, among them the director, plus Adam McKay, director/writer of the four-star comedy "The Big Short").
"Daddy's Home" takes that line seriously by embedding enough sharp turns and physical pratfalls to make the movie moderately amusing.
Ferrell narrates this story as Brad, stepfather to Dylan and Megan (Owen Wilder Vaccaro and Scarlett Estevez) after he marries their mom, Sarah (Linda Cardellini).
It has taken the highly emo Brad a long, long time to earn affection and respect from the kids. The moment he thinks he's making major progress, trouble comes home.
Sarah's ex, Dusty (Wahlberg, of course), is built like Hercules, wears a leather jacket and drives a studly motorcycle.
He's not only a fighter, he can fix anything, build anything and do anything, including swoop back into his kids' lives and bump Brad out of the family picture.
"If this guy was my wife's ex," says Leo Holt (Thomas Haden Church), manager at the Smooth Jazz radio station where Brad works, "I'd put a bullet through my skull!"
Leo provides lots of highly personal, non-helpful information to Brad, delivered on such a sincere level, you feel guilty for laughing.
Meanwhile, Dusty attempts to woo the kids back to him by spinning bedtime stories about a good king and a bad step-king fighting for control of the castle.
"Daddy's Home" putters along on Ferrell's good will and Walhberg's thin bravado, complemented by African-American comedian Hannibal Buress' hilarious handyman who parlays Brad's white guilt into free accommodations at his home.
Originally, Ferrell toyed with the idea of playing Dusty, which would have pumped "Daddy's Home" with some vibrant casting against type (such as Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi did in 1981's "Neighbors").
Wahlberg's arrival kiboshed that idea, allowing both stars to coast along on characters they could do on autopilot.
In this case, you did see that coming.
“Daddy's Home”
★ ★
Starring: Will Farrell, Mark Wahlberg, Thomas Haden Church, Linda Cardellini, Hannibal Buress
Directed by: Sean Anders
Other: A Paramount Pictures release. Rated PG-13 for suggestive material, language. 96 minutes