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★★★★★
Directed by Sean Anders
Starring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini and Thomas Haden Church
Film review by William Baldwin
Daddy's Home is a comedy.
Nice guy Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell) is step-dad to two children and husband to wife Sara (Linda Cardellini). As Brad and "his" family begin to take shape, the children's biological father Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberg) arranges to visit out of the blue, which sparks an ongoing rivalry between the two "dads", competing to become the more popular father out of the two. Okay not the most original premise, but the film is charming and there isn't much in the way of toilet humour (thank God) which has been so prevalent in many American comedies since the 90s.
Mark Wahlberg used to get flack from film critics about his performances, but from what I have seen in films like Boogie Nights (1997) Three Kings (1999), The Departed (2006), it is certainly arguable that he has been underrated. And now he can add no-holds-barred comedy to his resume, since in Daddy's Home he demonstrates good comic timing. Thomas Haden Church proved in the film Sideways (2004) that he can do comedy, so it comes as no surprise that Church (playing Brad's boss) is funny, especially when Brad's character comes to him for advice. Brad's boss is no help though, instead telling him random dirty stories that have happened in his life which bear no relevance or help to Brad at all. Brad as played by Will Ferrell, as expected, gets the most laughs though.
I lost count the number of times I laughed when Will Ferrell was onscreen. Special mention should be given to the basketball scene where Ferrell has to throw a basketball into a hoop, but chaos ensues. Also funny is the school dance scene that has moments which should have anyone in stitches. As a whole the movie is the funniest film I have seen in a long time at the cinema.
Obviously Daddy's Home, which is in cinemas now, is not the most eye catching title, and the film is largely predictable. The movie, as expected, has not received good reviews from film critics, but, I have to say I found it to be very enjoyable fluff.
Click here for more film reviews. Or watch Will Ferrell on a motorcycle...
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