DADDY'S HOME
US, 2015, 96 minutes, Colour.
Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Thomas Hayden Church, Scarlett Estevez, Owen Vaccaro, Bobby Cannavale, Hannibal Buress.
Directed by Steven Anders.
Over the years Will Ferrell has become a household name for broad American comedies, relying on his capacity for big and exaggerated characters, generally overbearing with the touch of the obnoxious – like Ron Burgundy. Mark Wahlberg on the other hand, has moved over several decades from Calvin Klein model and musician to a skill with all kinds of films, especially action films. They appeared together in the police comedy, The Other Guys.
In this film, they both play fathers – well, Will Ferrell plays a stepfather.
His character, Brad, is rather the opposite of the big, booming characters. This time, he is a very nice man who narrates the story and the place who finds himself in, having fallen in love and married Sara, Linda Cardellini, but also inheriting her two young children with whom he is desperate to bond. They feel no such desperation. When there seems to be some kind of movement, the little girl not drawing him as dead already but only being killed in one of her drawings and her brother confiding that he is bullied at school.
But, Brad‘ hopes are somewhat stymied by a phone call from Dusty, Mark Wahlberg, the ex-husband and father who decides that he will return and take over his paternal role. He barges past Brad, intrudes into the household, tries to play with everybody’s mind, but the children delighted to see him, his ex-wife not.
What follows is a series of comic episodes where the two men try to outdo each other, Dusty with the tough stance (the screenplay makes him unexpectedly articulate with a strong vocabulary in the intellectual sense, probably Special Ops), Brad always being very nice, falling into the victim role. They vie with the children’s attentions in reading a bedtime story which parallels home situation. Brad tries to ride Dusty’s bike only to find himself crashing through the house, upstairs, stuck on the wall while the bike flies out of the window, crashing and crushing the roof of his car. Dusty claims he can do the repairs and suggests that Brad fire the carpenter, a black man, Griff. Brad seems to be a racist – and then Dusty and Griff complete the treehouse the Brad was working on and Griff becomes part of the household. And so on.
Audience sympathy is with Brad, who takes Dusty to his work at a Smooth Jazz radio station when they are auditioning for talent – and, Dusty sings their identification jingle and gets the job instantly which pays more than Brad’s salary. His boss, played dryly by Thomas Hayden Church, is taken with Dusty.
One of the characteristics of an American comedy is that it can be loud, very loud, embarrassing events taking place in public, the kind of boisterous exhibitionism which can seem very silly. The big example of this takes place in a basketball arena with Brad making an extreme fool of himself. There is another scene at the end, at a daughter-father dance where Dusty is put to the test as a father, and Brad’s theory that instead of fighting, conflict might be solved by dancing. And, pleasantly, it is.
There is an amusing postscript where all seems happy ending, Brad and Sara have, more than they expected, a new baby. And Dusty has a new wife and has inherited a daughter – whose real father turns up on a huge bike and reacts to Dusty as Dusty had reacted to Brad!
1. The film – the family, for family? The parents, children?
2. The blend of the comic and serious? Marriage parenting, divorce, step-parents? Failures, fresh attempts, husbands and wives? The effect on children, double parents?
3. The cast, flavour comedy? Comedy American style, extroverted, public and loud? The basketball match, the daughters and father dance? The touch of the exhibitionistic?
4. Brad’s story, Will Ferrell, meek and kind, his narrative, his love for Sara, his hopes for the children, six months married? The daughter and her drawings, his being dead? The offhand son? His hopes as they confided, the boy and his being bullied – and the irony that it was by girls? Loving man, nice?
5. His age, love for Sara, visit to the dentist, the consequences of the x-rays and infertility? His job, the Smooth Jazz radio station? Leo Holt as his boss, their talks, Leo’s stories? The auditions for signature words and the theme?
6. Dusty, the phone call, abrupt, the story of the marriage, a wild man, the two children, leaving and irresponsible? Secrecy about his job, Special Ops? Keeping fit? At the airport, walking past Brad, his big bike, coming into the home, Sara and her warnings about him, his capacity for getting into people’s heads? The character wanting to win?
7. The episodes of rivalry? The King and Step King’s story, the children’s response, Brad and his reactions, altering the stories for the Step King? Brad taking Dusty to work, his singing the jingle, getting the job, the high salary? Leo Holt liking him? His baking the cinnamon buns? Brad moving the bike, its going high, going to the house, upstairs, crashing on top of Brad’s car, Brad stuck in the wall? The repairs and Brad being pressured into firing Griff? Allegations of racism? Dusty and his completing the treehouse, Griff helping him? Grief moving in? The issue of fighting, the challenge to Brad, Brad serious about dancing and making peace? Dusty and his push-ups, their seeming to come to an agreement, the hug – the rivalry in the open?
8. Brad, all help, the woman with the cones at school, her praising him to Dusty as the generous man, supporting charities?
9. The doctor, his manner, friendship with Dusty, the tests, the blind going up and people laughing at Brad? The good news, Dusty’s surprise?
10. Brad and his desperation, Santa in April, all the gifts and decorations, the gift of the pony, the children loving him, the tickets to the basketball, $18,000? Dusty knowing this manager, the family sitting with the stars? Brad drinking, making a fool of himself, the baskets, hitting people, carried away?
11. Brad at the office, Holt and his stories and high fives? Griff coming with his challenge? The background Griff, moving in, the meals, making himself at home, television, the comments?
12. Dusty, taking responsibility for the children, the appointments, driving to school, the woman with the cones, his exasperation and driving off?
13. Brad finding him, arguing, persuading Dusty to come to the dance? Sara’s reaction, the daughter? The boy and the girls bullying? The angry father, the commenters? The common being paid the girl actually the boy, his dancing with her and her response? Brad and the beginning to dance – and everybody dancing and making peace?
14. Dusty, his job, wealth, building a literal castle, the new wife, the stepdaughter? Empathy with Brad? The real father turning up on his bike – and repeating Dusty’s behaviour?
15. Broad comedy for the family but the importance of the points being made?
