Mark Wahlberg is a wild card, he can deliver a gripping performance and worthy of award statue, then stuffs like Max Payne and The Happening happen. Fortunately, he seems to find the correct comical niche with Will Ferrell as their second collaboration produces a kind of sleeper hit. Daddy's Home uses all the awkward instances of unorthodox family and turns them into a witty charming comedy.
Brad (Will Ferrell) is the providing stepdad who understandably feels intimidates when the biological father Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) shows up unexpectedly. The two compete in both subtle and blunt fights for dominance which only make matter worse for them. In serendipitous manner, similar to The Other Guys, both leads have strangely synced chemistry. They make very good characters from people expectation of macho and timid roles, then completely alter them to make a clever parody.
Majority of the humor comes from the teasing of typical family comedy, yet it goes entirely in different way. There are moments where they banter about dramatic events or familiarly awkward situation in such exaggerated satirical tone. A few crude jokes are also played in expense of the characters' manhood or dignity, it's cringe-worthy yet hilariously drawing.
Support characters perform nicely as well. Thomas Haden Church as the insensitive boss and Hannibal Buress as a truly random character Griff would pop out of nowhere manly to instigate or add salt to injury. With this kind of brash tone, a few of the scene might seem forced yet it usually ends up in the movie's favor due to timely satire.
Daddy's Home is smarter than average family comedy, it's a scintillating medium for parody and it fully capitalizes on Wahlberg and Ferrell's enigmatic chemistry.
Brad (Will Ferrell) is the providing stepdad who understandably feels intimidates when the biological father Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) shows up unexpectedly. The two compete in both subtle and blunt fights for dominance which only make matter worse for them. In serendipitous manner, similar to The Other Guys, both leads have strangely synced chemistry. They make very good characters from people expectation of macho and timid roles, then completely alter them to make a clever parody.
Majority of the humor comes from the teasing of typical family comedy, yet it goes entirely in different way. There are moments where they banter about dramatic events or familiarly awkward situation in such exaggerated satirical tone. A few crude jokes are also played in expense of the characters' manhood or dignity, it's cringe-worthy yet hilariously drawing.
Support characters perform nicely as well. Thomas Haden Church as the insensitive boss and Hannibal Buress as a truly random character Griff would pop out of nowhere manly to instigate or add salt to injury. With this kind of brash tone, a few of the scene might seem forced yet it usually ends up in the movie's favor due to timely satire.
Daddy's Home is smarter than average family comedy, it's a scintillating medium for parody and it fully capitalizes on Wahlberg and Ferrell's enigmatic chemistry.