The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Teaming up for a second round of laughs, The Other Guys co-stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg return to the big screen together in a film that ends up offering very little comedic relief or originality in Sean Anders’ painfully formulaic comedy, Daddy’s Home. 

Daddy’s Home follows the story of kind-hearted smooth jazz radio station manager, Brad (Ferrell), who is hoping to win over the hearts of his stepchildren, Megan (Estevez) and Dylan (Vaccaro), by killing them with different acts of kindness; an offering which only pushes them away even further.

Spurred on by his wife Sarah (Cardellini) his efforts soon slowly begin to show progress, before the children’s biological father, Dusty (Wahlberg) – the complete opposite to Brad – turns up at their doorstep. Convincing Brad to lett him stay at their home to catch up on lost time with his ex-wife and kids, Dusty soon begins competing with Brad for his children’s affection, forcing Brad goes to great lengths to prove that he is the better dad of the two

One of the most surprising and equally disturbing things about watching Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg battle it out in this shallow face-off is how uncreative and average the whole thing feels.  While the two share a fair amount of on-screen chemistry, neither Ferrell nor Wahlberg are able to lift the conventional material out of the gutter.  The film marks the latest in a series of Ferrell flops, while Wahlberg’s macho play goes way beyond a satirical take of  a classic stereotype and ends up being rather grating.

Co-scripted by Anders, Brian Burns and John Morris, the jokes are forced– some of which aren’t appropriate for younger viewers – while the introduction of random and seemingly unnecessary subplots only serve to drag the film into the pits.

It’s awfully difficult to grant Daddy’s Home a viewing recommendation of any sort, but perhaps you’re in the mood for some brainless ‘fun’? If so, then by all means.