Review of Daddy's Home (2014) by Logan C — 25 Feb 2016

I went into this movie expecting a laborious, boring, unfunny sit that I'd forget soon after watching. But I came out of the theater having seen a surprisingly funny, well-acted romp. Ferrell and Wahlberg's previous comedic feat "The Other Guys" was a genuinely funny comedy that showed how well these two can play off each other.

And yeah, seeing them on screen here gave me the same feeling that one did. Wahlberg's comedic timing is better than ever here and Ferrell (while his character is a one trick pony) is also humorous.

Though the movie itself was just okay. Shameless product placements and Ferrell's whiny, repetitive character aside - there is a lot to value here. For instance: most of the jokes, surprisingly, do hit home (though often it's agreeable that others fail hard); the premise alone is funny and in and of itself is a comedic gold mine; but most importantly - these characters are hilarious.

Thomas Haden Church as the blunt, crude boss of Will Ferrell's character; Hannibal Buress as a repairman that just casually hangs around the main characters' home; and Bobby Cannavale as a joke-toting doctor are revelations and when they're on screen together genuine belly laughs are certain to ensue.

Though I would have liked to have seen them do more with Linda Cardellini's character who exists solely to be the paper-thin love interest with very few jokes. Some more downsides are some overly-ridiculous plot points, an unbelievable ending, and some jokes that REALLY overstay their welcome.

"Daddy's Home" is a perfectly serviceable comedy with a lot of heart and earnestness, great comedic performances, but very messy (and slightly underwhelming) story.