HOLLYWOOD—I will say it now: Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell are comedy gold. At first it may not seem like it, but if you saw “The Other Guys,” it was the first time the actors partnered together for the 2010 comedy. I honestly cannot recall the last time I laughed so hard in the theater that my stomach hurt. The actors reteamed for the 2015 hit “Daddy’s Home” that was absolutely hilarious. Wahlberg portrays the tough father of his ex-wife, Sara (Linda Cardinelli), while Ferrell portrays Brad, Sara’s new hubby who was adjusting to be a stepdad and having to come face-to-face with his wife’s ex.
That movie was a box-office hit with audiences, so 2017 sees the release of “Daddy’s Home 2.” So the question of the hour is if the comedy is just as funny if not funnier than its predecessor? The answer is without a doubt HELL yes! I honestly did not know where this sequel would go, but it works so well, I can see a third even a fourth chapter in the franchise. Dusty and Brad have mended their friendship to the point where they seem much closer than their respective wives and are hardcore pals to the core.
That might be one of the reasons “Daddy’s Home 2” works so well, it gives people a slice of the American life. Divorce transpires, and as a result people get remarried and when it comes to kids they find themselves having to bond with step parents and their can indeed be a bit of friction between the men in those kids lives. Why? Ego, people, it’s all about ego.
Ferrell is hilarious as Brad, the kooky guy who has a cookie clean image and does some of the most outlandish and unexpected things, even if you wanted to hold back a laugh it’s nearly impossible to do. Wahlberg takes his tough guy persona and puts a bit of charm on it because whenever he interacts with Brad; their communication skills without fault immediately leads to laughs.
However, the addition of John Lithgow and Mel Gibson, as Brad and Dusty’s respective fathers, takes the cake. Brad and Dusty are funny, but Lithgow and Gibson bring so much personality to their characters it is evident how important perfect casting can be for a movie. That scene where Brad and Dusty first encounter their fathers at the airport nearly had me on the theater floor. I mean the interaction between Brad and Don (Lithgow), whew; I never expected comedy could be this fun.
As a viewer it’s easy to see how Brad and Dusty came to be about when you look at their fathers. If you thought Dusty was tough, his dad Kurt (Gibson) brings a level of dark humor with his antics that works so well. I mean whoever knew Mel Gibson could deliver such a comic performance that allows audiences to see him in a new light. Oh, and that’s just the beginning of the madness because you have the addition of Karen (Alessandra Ambrosio) as Dusty’s new wife, and John Cena as Roger, Karen’s ex-husband, and father to Dusty’s stepdaughter Adrianna. A tough guy doing battle with a tough guy, who knew it would be such hilarity.
At its core, “Daddy’s Home 2” is all about family; the ups and downs we experience and being forced to interact with those blood relatives that sometimes can boil one’s blood. As a spectator it does not take much for one to connect with the narrative or the characters, and when you toss in outlandish characters and put them in compromising situations you will get laughs. With such much madness in the country right now, “Daddy’s Home 2” delivers comedy so exceptional it will take you mind off all the struggles or stress that is in your life and trust me it’s something we can all use right now.
