Movie review: ‘Daddy’s Home’ with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell

A riotous reunion for Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, Daddy’s Home manages to mix in some dramatic grace notes amid the slapstick set pieces.

While the film’s premise — two men (Ferrell as straitlaced, easygoing step-dad Brad Whitaker; Wahlberg as globe-trotting hunk and biological father Dusty Mayron) competing for the attention and affection of two young children, each desperate to prove a more worthy dad — guarantees there will be no genuine surprises in the course of the film’s 96 minutes, the cast and director Sean Anders manage to make the journey to the expected destination rather entertaining.

Some peculiar ingredients keep things pleasantly off-kilter — Hannibal Buress’ star-making turn as Griff, the handyman who becomes a house guest, and Thomas Haden Church’s wildly inappropriate boss — along with the sight of the buff Wahlberg facing off with the doughy Ferrell, upping the ante for this pair of “co-dads” working overtime to charm the two children and their mother, Sarah (Linda Cardellini).

Daddy’s Home finds Ferrell and Wahlberg reteaming after the success of 2010’s buddy-cop comedy The Other Guys, this time swapping gunfire and quips for domesticity and redefining masculinity.

One of Home’s more fascinating narrative threads, written by Anders, Brian Burns and John Morris, is how the film considers what it means to be a father in the 21st century, as well as the new realities of family life.

Such topics are weighty stuff to address in such a big, broad comedy, but the filmmakers’ message gets through without sabotaging the silliness — and make no mistake, Daddy’s Home is primarily built to let Ferrell and Wahlberg go bonkers.

Whether it’s Christmas come early, a runaway motorcycle ride, a disastrous night out at a NBA game or the screwball finale set at a daddy-daughter dance, the film doesn’t skimp on screamingly funny sequences.

Ferrell and Wahlberg could each play such roles in their sleep, and much of what makes Daddy’s Home so enjoyable is how both actors are completely present throughout (as opposed to Wahlberg’s other big comedic turn in the execrable Ted 2 earlier this year).

Apart from Buress and Church, the rest of the cast takes what opportunities they can to shine, although Cardellini is saddled with an underwritten and largely thankless role.

Mixing a message, however well-intentioned, with mirth can be a recipe for trouble, but Daddy’s Home manages to make some subtle points about the qualities of a good father, while also providing a deeply funny reunion between two of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 12:11 AM with the headline "Movie review: ‘Daddy’s Home’ with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell."