DADDY DAYCARE 
A Columbia Pictures Release

review by Joseph B. Mauceri

SYNOPSIS: Charlie (Eddie Murphy) and Phil (Jeff Garlin) are fired from their ad jobs after failing to excite some kids about a vegetable cereal. That means no expensive daycare for their sons at the exclusive Chapman Academy. After six months of fruitless job searching, Charlie comes up with the idea for he and Phil to open their own daycare center. How much harder can it be to supervise ten? Charlie and Phil soon realize they are in over their heads. As they slowly get the hang of it, "Daddy Day Care" thrives and begins to siphon kids away from the stuffy Chapman school. Threatened, the harsh taskmistress Miss Gwyneth Harridan (Anjelica Huston) will stop at nothing to put her competition out of business.

REVIEW: Director Steve Carr and Screenwriter Geoff Rodkey run with the story and narrowly focus the scope of the film as they attempt to deliver a movie that appeals to a child and an adult audience. The story is a bare bones plot, and some of the older kids in the audience can probably figure it out. DADDY DAYCARE is filled with larger-than-life performances that play as caricatures; the production designs are based on primary colors, the kid humor is rich with potty jokes, and the cast is largely charming children actors.

The adults take a back seat to the kids. Murphy, Garlin and Zahn spend the entire film playing straight men to the kids. The adult performances feel like the animated characters in a Disney feature, and Anjelica Huston the live quintessential Disney villain. I was impressed that the filmmakers could capture that Disney feel in a live-action film, and it's refreshing. However, other than an appearance by the band Cheap Trick that's about it here for the adults.

The trick to reviewing a kid's film is having kids in the audience so you can watch their reactions. There was a nice age range in the screening I attended. While DADDY DAYCARE played well with the adults and the 5 to 11 age group, the film did not do so well with the 12 to 17 year-olds in the audience. Most were bored with the film and didn't find the humor funny. In fact, I overheard a few comment, ãI don't know what they're laughing at.ä

Given the film's shortcomings, I was enjoying DADDY DAYCARE. Unfortunately, I have some misgivings with the film's final message. The film has ãDaddy Daycareä beating the Chapman Academy. In essence, the message of the relationship between the father and son is displaced by the closing message of fun daycare winning out over academic daycare. Eddy Murphy and the kids are get their new, bigger, fun filled space, while Chapman Academy is closed, and the headmistress reduced to a crossing guard. It seems to say that having fun is more important than education. I believe a better message would have been where the two rivals merged, showing the kids that learning can be fun. After all what's more important, kids spending time with their family, learning something, or going to the movies?

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/daddydaycare/

BACK