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Daddy’s Home

A movie full of homespun cheer, Daddy’s Home is a big-hearted, good-natured family comedy.

Dec 23, 2015, updated Dec 23, 2015

It benefits greatly from Will Ferrell’s funny and charming performance as a mild-mannered radio executive striving to become the perfect stepdad to his new wife’s two children.

Sure, the film feels a little too feel-good at the end, but what do you expect? And while the plot may be predictable, Sean Anders directs with swiftness, hilarity and effectiveness.

Brad (Ferrell) is a mild-mannered radio executive who is married to Sara (Linda Cardellini) and loathed by his step-children – and when Sara’s cool, bad-boy ex-husband Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) rolls back into town, Brad’s insecurities overflow.

Both the smoldering Dusty and docile Brad set out to destroy each other in the hopes of winning the devotion of Sara and her children. What follows is a comical but formulaic scuffle for principal-father prominence in which both men debase themselves and lose their family’s respect.

Thankfully, Ferrell and Wahlberg maintain great chemistry with one another; Brad and Dusty have similar behaviours to their characters in their much-admired movie The Other Guys. Basically, Daddy’s Home is more of the same style of disarmingly funny comedy but this time they are pitted against one another.

As they vie for their kids’ respect, they become increasingly manic, but the destructive duel is worth the ride despite the syrupy ending.

This is a family-friendly comedy which doesn’t attempt to break the mould. Instead, Daddy’s Home allows Ferrell and Wahlberg to entertainingly run riot.

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