Daddy Day Care Movie Review:


After striking out miserably last year with three flops ("I Spy," "The Adventures of Pluto Nash," and "Showtime"), Eddie Murphy is back with "Daddy Day Care" as a summer comedy attempting to revitalize his star status.

Murphy plays Charlie, who is so busy with his promotional products job that he does not have any time for his beautiful wife, Kim (King), or his 4-year-old son, Ben (Griffin). Charlie's working partner and best friend is Phil (Garlin), who also seems to have little time for his family. After the two ultimately fail with a proposed vegetable cereal called "Veggie-O's," they are laid off without any notice. Lacking funds to make the payments for Ben to go to a strict daycare called the Chapman Academy, Charlie thinks up the idea that he and Phil should run a day-care out of his home. Against all advice and not foreseeing any problems, Charlie and Phil open Daddy Day Care. The first eight kids that arrive have unique personalities and become difficult for the two dads to handle: Max, Phil's son that misses when he goes to the potty; Tony, who believes he is "The Flash" superhero; and Crispin, who likes to kick Charlie constantly. The two daddies recruit a third caretaker named Marvin, who is played by the amusing Steve Zahn, to help them stop the havoc and the madness, but more importantly take care of the children of Daddy Day Care.

This is a light comedy that children will enjoy, but overall I found it pretty hollow and repetitive. Director Steve Carr, who worked with Murphy before on "Dr. Dolittle 2," and writer Geoff Rodkey keep the film's humor just mild enough for its intended audience. There are of course the two daddies getting hurt and toilet humor to keep the audience engaged. However, the film seems to run out of ideas as soon as they are presented, leaving many moments to be repetitive and cliché. The whole carrot and broccoli mascot outfit instances are amusing in the film's early moments, but after the third or fourth time around it just is not funny any more. Carr intends to capture a laugh-a-minute atmosphere that can also pull the audience into the drama of being a daddy. The actual laughs of the film come and go, with most of the film's best moments visible in its preview trailer. I did love Murphy's story time elephant impression for Ben, which is seen in its entirety in the preview trailer. The subplot of the rival Chapman Academy vs. Daddy Day Care is also a weak element in the script. If you want to see a film of this nature that is better written with balance humor and drama, rent Ivan Reitman's "Kindergarten Cop."

Eddie Murphy continues to be struggle as Charlie, but this role is a better choice for him than his last few mishaps. When Murphy is at the top of his craft, he is one of the funniest people in Hollywood, but when he is not hitting on all cylinders, he really falters. Murphy's performance as Charlie is mediocre in relation to what he is capable of. Steve Zahn is an absolute nut, and the film actually gets better when he arrives as Marvin, who has a special touch with the kids. Young Khamami Griffin, who plays Ben, is just so adorably cute that you can not help but like him and Jeff Garlin reminded me of a young John Goodman in his role as Phil. The real downfall of the cast is the performance by the usually talented Angelica Huston as the aggressive dictator Miss Harridan, who runs the rival Chapman Academy. Huston's cues and tactics become overcooked in a role that is more attenitive than authentic.

"Daddy Day Care" is an Eddie Murphy vehicle film that wants to capture many laughs as well as heart, but its execution is not very well done. Though there are many noticeable flaws in this film, overall "Daddy Day Care" will entertain most of the child audiences that see it.

Grade: C

05/09/03
By Joseph Tucker

Eddie Murphy takes another swing at family comedy and this time he has half a dozen tots standing in his way.

Mr. Murphy plays married-advertising executive Charlie Hinton, who seems to enjoy the perfect family life. Charlie has a beautiful wife Kim (Regina King) and a darling son.

When cutbacks are felt at Charlie's company, he finds himself on the unemployment line with his work chum, Phil (Jeff Garlin). Charlie and Phil wonder what it would take to run a child daycare outfit after Charlie is forced to pull his son out of a posh children's academy run by head-mistress, Mrs. Harridan (Angelica Huston).

The two unemployed dads create Daddy Day Care and the fun and hi-jinx ensues. Much to Mrs. Harridan's dismay.

"Daddy Day Care" is the perfect comedy for new parents or for people who just love kids. The sweetness and high sugary moments aren't for everyone but for Eddie's family comedy journey this one delivers a lot more laughs than "Dr Doolittle".

The film reminded me a lot of the Michael Keaton comedy, "Mr. Mom" especially in the scenes where people aren't sure if men can do what women do. I also felt that these scenes were a little bit dated for a modern audience.

My favorite moments involve the addition of Steve Zahn to the daycare. Zahn's slapstick comedy and pop-culture references made me laugh with glee. He alone is one of the huge bright-spots of this comedy.

I have always screamed that I want to see the return of the old Eddie. I loved him in "I, Spy" and "Showtime" where there were signs of the good ol' Eddie from his "Beverly Hills Cop" days. But with the poor box office of those films, I guess I might have been the only one. Maybe one day we will see him again.

If you forget the high-doses of sugar and some of dated premise then you may find yourself enjoying "Daddy Day Care". It's a great film for its target audience and in that aspect it hits the nail on the head. The consensus is that it's cute!

(3 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Dean Kish

After loosing their marketing jobs and been unemployed for six weeks, Charlie (Murphy) and Phil (Garlin) decide it is time to take their careers into their own hands. Releasing that there is only one real pre-school facility in the region and a rather expensive one at that, Charlie comes up with the idea for ‘Daddy Day Care’. Even though they know nothing about childcare in the slightest.

And there you have it, a movie built on one gag, Father’s looking after children. Oh the hilarity.

Eddie Murphy’s career is in the doldrums at the moment. With the noticeable exception of his vocal work for Shrek and Mulan, he hasn’t made a decent movie since Bowfinger in 1999 and that was really a Steve Martin movie. Either he has become the laziest star in Hollywood, just making movies for the paycheque or he has the lousiest agent in the business. He doesn’t even make any effort with the kids giving better performances than him. This is a man who was a very talented comedic actor. Remember the original Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places and 48 Hrs. Eddie Murphy really needs a talented young, writer director to give him a role that he can get into and relive those glory days.

The script is appalling. While the premise isn’t bad and had real opportunity for some genuine laughs, the opportunity for any type of joviality is sadly wasted by a script that hardly even manages to raise a smile. The good supporting cast are sadly wasted. Steve Zahn is a gifted comic actor, who is given nothing to work with. Anjelica Houston is nothing more than a pantomime villain and Jeff Garlin is the comedy fat guy. Yes the screenwriters even get down to that level.

Daddy Day Care is a sugar-coated movie that Hollywood seems to think is good family entertainment. From the awfully sickly sweet musical score to the overly cute kids, the whole movie is enough to make you vomit and there on the floor you would see the remnants of Eddie Murphy’s career.

Star Rating = *

Jamie Kelwick

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