Daddy Day Care (2003) Synopsis:
When two fathers lose their jobs in product development at a large food company, they are forced to take their sons out of the exclusive Chapman Academy and become stay at home fathers. With no job possibilities on the horizon, the two dads open their own day care facility, "Daddy Day Care," and employ some fairly unconventional methods of caring for children. As "Daddy Day Care" starts to catch on, it launches them into a highly competitive rivalry with Chapman Academy's tough-as-nails director who has driven all previous competitors out of business.
Daddy Day Care (2003) 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.
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Daddy Day Care (2003) review written by: Bailey Henderson
12th October, 2008 
