The story of a mild-mannered radio executive who strives to become the best stepdad ever to his wife's two children, but complications ensue when their freewheeling, freeloading real father arrives, forcing stepdad to compete for the affection of the kids.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.5/10
IMDb: 6.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 30%
Metacritic: 42
TMDB: 6.3/10
Director
Sean Anders
Production
Paramount Pictures, Gary Sanchez Productions, Red Granite Pictures
Cast
Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Thomas Haden Church, Scarlett Estevez, Owen Vaccaro, Bobby Cannavale, Hannibal Buress, Bill Burr, Jamie Denbo, Mark L. Young, Matthew Paul Martinez, Dave Davis, James Harlon Palmer, Riley Ann Corbin, LaJessie Smith, Billy 4 Johnston, Olivia Renee Dupepe, Billy Slaughter, LaMonica Garrett
Where to watch
Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
Curator Review
Verdict
A broad, lightly mean-spirited studio comedy that works best as a star-powered clash of parenting styles. It has a few genuinely funny set pieces and strong supporting turns, but the formula is familiar and the humor is uneven.
Best for
fans of broad 2010s mainstream comedies
viewers who like buddy-collision setups and domestic rivalry
people open to crude jokes mixed with sentimental family beats
audiences looking for an easy, low-stakes watch
Skip if
you want sharply written or especially original comedy
you dislike crude humor and macho posturing
you prefer comedies with a warmer or more grounded tone
you are expecting consistent laughs rather than a few big bits
Overview
Daddy’s Home is built around a simple comic engine: a buttoned-up stepdad trying too hard to be perfect, and the swaggering biological father who arrives to blow up the household balance. The premise is old-fashioned, but the cast gives it enough energy to keep moving, especially when the film leans into awkward social competition and escalating humiliation.
Worth noting
What stands out most is the movie’s willingness to get mean before it gets sentimental. It has the polished, crowd-pleasing shape of a studio comedy, but the jokes often come from insecurity, one-upmanship, and physical chaos rather than warmth. That makes it intermittently funny, though also a little repetitive.
Bottom line
If you’re in the mood for a disposable but watchable comedy with a few memorable supporting performances and a decent payoff, it can do the job. If you want something sharper, more character-specific, or more consistently inspired, it’s easy to pass on.
Top Letterboxd reviews
davidehrlich (2★) · 785 likes
(update #2: unpinned)
(update 5/29/23: taking another month off to be with the baby, so this is back in effect until july 1)
***quick programming note***
i usually only log the movies i watch for work, but i'm not gonna be writing any full-length reviews for the next little while (you can thank my imminent baby daughter for that), so this page is just going to be a diaristic, sleep-deprived, paternity-brained free-for-all until July. and then it'll go back to… more
matt lynch · 710 likes
Technically a movie you could find yourself watching someday.
2018 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 58m · PG-13 · Curator 3.8/10 (137.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
A warmer, more sincere take on modern family and parenting chaos.