Daddys Home 2
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The similarities between Daddys Home 2 and A Bad Moms Christmas, are striking. Not only are the two films sequels to successful first installments but they follow the similar template of bringing back the most popular elements of the first movie, stirring veteran actors into the mix, and finishing everything off with a big kumbaya moment. Okay, so the main characters in A Bad Moms Christmas are women while theyre men in Daddys Home 2. And the former is considerably more ribald than the latter (although neither is clean enough to qualify as a family film). But both releases feel like they were cut from the same cloth.
Bad Moms did well at the box office but Daddys Home did even better. The producers, not wanting to mess with a successful formula, brought back the essential creative team behind the first film: writer/director Sean Anders and his screenplay partner, John Morris. The story told in the 2015 movie, about the rivalry between step-dad Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell) and real/divorced dad Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberg), hit the sweet spot for many viewers. When the sequel starts, Brad and Dusty are best buds. They live close to one another and their kids play together. The only flaw in the web of congeniality is that Brads wife, Sara (Linda Cardellini), and Dustys wife, Karen (Alessandra Ambrosio), dont get along. Then along comes Christmas and, as always at that time of the year, relatives arrive. In this case, its Dustys (uninvited) Type-A pop, Kurt (Mel Gibson), and Brads (invited) touchy-feely father, Jonah (John Lithgow). With all that oil and vinegar mixing, theres bound to be some separation especially when the extended family heads off on a Christmas vacation where they are joined by Karens ex-husband, bulky bad-ass Roger (John Cena).
Although the cast is populated by several name stars, Daddys Home 2 is at heart a Will Ferrell film. The humor is in his wheelhouse. It includes a lot of over-the-top physical comedy and a tendency to stick with a joke after it has reached its maximum potential. Wahlberg appears more comfortable playing this material than he did in Daddys Home but there are still some awkward moments. John Lithgow exudes a certain weaselly subservience as Brads father. Unsurprisingly, the standout is Mel Gibson. Rather than ignoring the ignoble aspects of the veteran actors offscreen persona, the screenplay allows them to inform the viewers impressions of Kurt. For his part, Gibson plays this like he might portray Martin Riggs (the anti-social Lethal Weapon version not the softened one from the sequels) 30 years olderand hes not too old for this shit. Gibson steals scenes seemingly without trying. Its inspired casting and reminds us of the magnetism he once commanded.
Daddys Home 2 is episodic and, to that extent, it recalls National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, even going so far as to visit similar territory. All thats missing is Randy Quaid. Seen as a pure holiday comedy, Daddys Home 2 works fine. It doesnt redefine the genre or do anything outlandish. Its outrageously safe and careful not to offend (or at least not too much). There are more chuckles than good, hearty guffaws so the movie is made more for those who laugh easily. Like A Bad Moms Christmas, this is an opportunity for a holiday-themed break from the bigger, louder likes of Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League. Its not going to win any awards but there are worse ways to get some cheap laughs and the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with any rendition of kumbaya.
