Daddy's Home 2

Story: Just when Brad and Dusty have reached an understanding about how to co-parent their children, things start to unravel when their respective fathers land up to spend Xmas with them

Review: After a rocky start and reluctantly becoming pals at the end of the first movie, the 2015 hit, ‘Daddy’s Home’, Brad Whittaker (Will Ferrell) and Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberg) have finally agreed on a ‘co-dad parenting system’ in this sequel. This comprises jointly spending time with the kids — Megan and Dylan — who are Dusty’s biological children but live with their mother Sara (Linda Cardellini) and their stepdad, Brad. Dusty, who is now married to Karen (Alexandra Ambrosio), has become a stepfather himself to her daughter Adrianna. The complicated family tree becomes further entangled when Brad’s and Dusty’s fathers — Don (John Lithgow and Grandpa Kurt (Mel Gibson) respectively — decide to visit the families for Christmas. Just as we’re getting our minds around the many characters, Kurt decides to rent out a charming cabin in the woods so that everyone can spend the holidays together.
As the story moves ahead though, we realise that he has an agenda for doing so. What ensues are a range of amusing incidents that put Brad in bad light in front of the family. With a talented ensemble cast that comprises acting powerhouses such as Ferrell, Wahlberg, Gibson and Lithgow, you know you’re in for a treat. While some of the gags seem predictable, you nonetheless find yourself laughing at the scenarios as clumsy Brad tries his best to bring everyone together.
Among the performances, all the lead actors show us just why they’re big names in Hollywood — Gibson, especially, stands out for his superb portrayal as the sarcastic, womanising senior dad, gleefully enjoying Brad’s repeated misfortune. Although Ferrell and Lithgow seem a tad over-the-top, they do their parts well. Director Sean Anders does a decent job of giving everyone a fair share of screen time although we do wish Gibson had even more screen space, given his comic timing. Some characters aren’t fleshed out well — there is zilch interaction between the characters of Dusty and Karen, who seem more like acquaintances than husband and wife. On the whole, ‘Daddy’s Home 2’ is a fun Xmas outing that you can enjoy with the whole family. Happy holidays!