Review of Daddy's Home 2 (2017) by Kevin P — 13 Aug 2018

Strengths: One of the things that made the first Daddy's Home work was the chemistry between the cast. That mostly holds form this time around. Will Ferrell (Brad Whitaker) and Mark Wahlberg (Dusty Mayron) still play well off each other. Linda Cardeillini (Sara Whitaker) is as delightful as ever, while the added role for John Cena (Roger) produced more than a few laughs. John Lithgow (Don Whitaker) was a welcome addition to the cast. The film also does well with the Christmas theme without overdoing it. It's no Christmas classic, but it has some merits.

Weaknesses: Mel Gibson (Kurt Mayron) seemed to be one of the film's selling points, yet he didn't add much. A lot of what he did lacked for laughs. He and Lithgow both played characters who felt more like clichés than real people. In fact, clichés are all over this movie. It's as if they saw Christmas family films and tried to mimic them without doing anything funny or original. The singing scene near the end feels way over the top and it doesn't work. Instead of feeling heartwarming, it comes across as cheesy in an unfunny way. It's almost painful.

Overall: There are more than a few laughs to help this be completely terrible. It's filled with familiar tropes, cringeworthy moments, and the talented cast suffers from a lazy script.