#90
I believe this is the first time that I have seen a sequel to a movie and have not seen the original. I am a fairly big fan of Will Ferrell’s movies and loved his first collaboration with Mark Wahlberg: The Other Guys. For some reason I had zero desire to see Daddy’s Home and that continued since it showed up available with several streaming companies. After the first trailer dropped revealing Mel Gibson as Mark Wahlberg’s dad, I was on board. Then shortly thereafter, John Lithgow was revealed as Will Ferrell’s dad I was sold. So after already seeing one ensemble Christmas movie dealing with parents before Thanksgiving, how does this rate and compare?
I would give it 6 “make up hot cocoas” out of 10.
FOR THE UNINITIATED
Brad and Dusty have come to terms with co-parenting even though there are growing pains. They decide to have a joint Christmas for the benefit of the kids and then find out their parents will be joining them. Kurt pits everyone against each other and Don talks non-stop.
Directed by: Sean Anders
Written by: Sean Anders and John Morris
Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson, John Lithgow, Linda Cardellini, and John Cena
THE BEST
The ending really tied everything together. Normally that should be a given, but most comedies fall apart at the end when they try to finish up their story. It was also refreshing since the first two thirds of the movie weren’t overly funny or quickly paced. There were a few heart touching moments and several laugh out loud moments that needed to be built up, but were definitely worth it.
It also helps that all of the dads played off each other extremely well. Whether it was the overly affectionate Brad / Don relationship, distant Dusty / Kurt, or any mixture of the four; it was fantastic.
THE WORST
As I mentioned previously, the first two thirds of the movie are a drag. There were a few funny moments, but they seemed to far apart causing the movie to slow down to a near stand still several times. One of my biggest complaints in most comedies is the need to fill them with an impactful story instead of impactful jokes. The story had an obvious goal in mind, but the beginning just seemed to stutter and build up the characters which were already well enough established.
Also, as a quick note: if power goes out in a movie theatre the crowds are generally not that accepting of their fate. Everyone wants to ask questions the employees don’t have answers for and want immediate compensation.
OVERALL
Daddy’s Home Two took a little while to pick up steam, but then finished strong. It is the most spirited holiday movie thus far, beating out A Bad Moms Christmas fairly easily … even if this one wasn’t as funny. It might not get you in the holiday mood, but it is worth seeing if you need a laugh. No need to rush out and see it in theatres unless you are a fanatic, so feel free to wait until it’s on Redbox or Netflix.
RECOMMENDATION
My recommendation is the first Will Ferrell / Mark Wahlberg collaboration: The Other Guys. Aside from Lethal Weapon, it is my favorite buddy cop movie. I also consider it to be the first big Michael Keaton role since the late 90s with a character that would fit right at home in Brooklyn Nine Nine, which is high praise. It also one one of my favorite scenes in a movie when Ferrell and Wahlberg get drunk at a bar. As a whole, The Other Guys is one of the better comedies over the past ten years and is worth checking out.
Should Anyone Watch 