DADDY DAY CARE
US, 2003, 92 minutes, Colour.
Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin, Steve Zahn, Regina King, Angelica Hoston, Kevin Nealon, Jonathan Katz, Lacey Chabert.
Directed by Steve Carr.
Eddie Murphy makes this perhaps somewhat implausible story very entertaining. While he had excelled in smart talking police in the Beverley Hills Cop series and the 48 Hours, was also popular as The Nutty Professor and Dr Dolittle. Here he combines with the director of Dr Dolittle, Steve Carr, who also made a number of family films including Are We There Yet?, Paul Blart, The Middle Years, the Worst Years of My Life.
Eddie Murphy and Jeff Garlin work well together, executives at an advertising company, interested to promote the breakfast food full of vegetables – they fail. They also lose their job. Regina King plays Eddie Murphy’s wife, a trained lawyer who now goes out to work while Eddie Murphy has lost his job. Sitting in the park, the two men are advised to think about daycare.
Angelica Huston, a bit like a prison warden, runs an advanced daycare centre which the couple visit, uniforms, discipline, classes, advanced language learning… When Charlie and Phil set up, they don’t have too many ideas, but are happy to let the children play, even though they create some mayhem and mess. The mothers entrust their children and the enterprise is successful, Phil’s son learning toilet training, Charlie’s son finding friends.
Steve Zahn, in his zany phase, plays someone from work who visits the centre and is able to charm, entertain and control the children. He is employed, a job that he likes – and is even given a romantic plot with one of the mothers.
The main drama comes from Angelica Huston and her making official complaints, sabotaging with charges about inadequate provisions, quoting the regulations for care centres.
Naturally enough, all works out well at the end, even though the two men are momentarily enticed back to work but do not wish to advertise a breakfast food that is absolutely full of sugar.
The last scene is Angelica Huston as a traffic policewoman, fighting off a bee, signalling widely and causing all kinds of traffic mayhem.
1. An entertainment for the family? The response of children? The response of parents? Educators, day carers?
2. Middle America, the town, advertising offices, homes, daycare schools, parks, rundown buildings? The musical score?
3. The title, the care for infants? Qualifications, enthusiasm, regulations?
4. Charlie and Phil, Charlie and his wife, lawyer, going to work? Love for his son? His being absent from home? Phil and his son Max? At the office, advertising, breakfast foods, the carrot and the broccoli, the vegetable cereal? The children not liking it? The song and the commercial? Marvin and his stepping in, bouncing around? The rejection? The restructuring of the department? Health foods out, Charlie and Phil out?
5. Charlie having to stay at home, his wife going out to work? Charlie with his son, the rocket game? Charlie and Phil in the park, the advice of the friend, the need for daycare?
6. The Institute with Mrs Harridan, her giving the tour to Charlie and his wife, uniforms, classes, advanced studies, discipline, her personal manner, Jennifer as her assistant?
7. Charlie proposing the idea to Phil? Advertising, the mothers coming, wary of two men doing this job, trying it out?
8. The range of children, boys and girls, the boy in the costume suit, the little girl with glasses and her intelligence, Max and the problem of toilet training, Charlie’s son and his feeling on the outer, not having friends?
9. The range of activities, inventiveness, some mayhem, tiredness and sleeping, painting, drawing, football, Marvin and his arrival, his charm with the children, getting them involved, the puppet show…?
10. Mrs Harridan and her upset, children leaving? Her reporting Charlie and Phil, the complaint, the numbers and adult supervision? The visitor, harried, inspecting, the list of changes, Charlie and Phil working all night, ready? Marvin’s arrival, his being hired, fulfilling all the obligations? Keeping the children occupied?
11. The idea of expanding, finding The Final Frontier, Marvin and his love for Star Trek, the possibility of raising money, the fair, Mrs Harridan infiltrating, sabotaging and destruction?
12. The boss, his child at Daddy Day Care – and his paying them, but calling them losers? The offer of the job, the return, the decisions, the son’s disappointment? The new breakfast cereal, full of sugar, Charlie and his coming to his senses, resigning, persuading Phil?
13. More complaints from Mrs Harridan? Charlie is going to the school, the confrontation, bluntly talking to her, her plans and expansion?
14. Phil’s son and successful toilet training, Charlie’s son and his making friends, bonding with his father – even after asking for him instead of his mother?
15. Mrs Harridan losing her centre, traffic, signalling, the bee, mayhem with the traffic?
16. The success, the expansion, listening to children, responding to their needs, affirming them?
