Aimed at viewers young enough still to need day care.
Daddy Day Care (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:124
Fresh:35
Rotten:89
Average Rating:4.5/10
Consensus: Daddy Day Care does its job of babysitting the tots. Anyone older will probably be bored.
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Genre: Childrens
Synopsis: The dads are in charge. And the kids are all right. Charlie (Eddie Murphy) and Phil (Jeff Garlin) are so consumed by their high profile advertising jobs that they are completely missing out on... The dads are in charge. And the kids are all right. Charlie (Eddie Murphy) and Phil (Jeff Garlin) are so consumed by their high profile advertising jobs that they are completely missing out on the joys of fatherhood. In the wonderful new family comedy Daddy Day Care, however, their kids provide them with a crash course in child rearing, with uproarious and heartwarming results. After failing to excite the public about vegetable cereal, Charlie and Phil are fired from their ad jobs. That means no more expensive day care for their sons at the exclusive Chapman Academy, run by the harsh taskmistress Miss Gwyneth Harridan (Anjelica Huston). While floundering aimlessly in search of employment and tending to his four-year-old son Ben (Khamani Griffin) during the day while his wife Kim (Regina King) is at work, Charlie has an idea. If he and Phil can handle taking care of two kids, how much harder can it be to supervise ten? Much harder than they ever imagined. Every kid is different and every one is a hilarious challenge, whether they're suffering from sugar rush, fantasizing about being super heroes, or just demolishing everything in sight, Charlie and Phil soon realize they are in over their heads. Way over their heads. But slowly they get the hang of it and their new venture "Daddy Day Care" thrives, siphoning kids away from the stuffy Chapman school. As the number of kids increases, they bring in a third caretaker, Marvin (Steve Zahn), who seems to speak the children's language, probably because he's just an overgrown kid himself. They teach the kids how to read, play games, interact, and have fun at the same time. Charlie and Phil gradually bond with their sons, coming to fully appreciate the priceless joys of fatherhood. However, the better "Daddy Day Care" works, the more threatened Gwyneth Harridan becomes, which leads to a showdown. Now it's the daddies against the baddest mother of them all. [More]
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin, Anjelica Huston, Regina King
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin, Anjelica Huston, Regina King, Steve Zahn, Lacey Chabert, Laura Kightlinger, Kevin Nealon, Siobhan Fallon, Khamani Griffin
Director: Steve Carr
Director: Steve Carr
Screenwriter: Geoff Rodkey
Producer: John Davis, Matt Berenson, Wyck Godfrey
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Reviews for Daddy Day Care
Daddy Day Care feels like a movie cribbed together from outtakes of other hapless Hollywood comedies.
Daddy is more than happy to go for potty-training humor rather than real jokes ... But kids aren't likely to mind, and should be laughing straight through to the blooper-filled closing credits.
A likable little movie without much to offer but cute tots, recycled gags and a talented cast amiably wasting their time and ours.
Daddy Day Care is a cinema-sized Romper Room reject looking to pine for its hollow hilarity by appealing to the non-judgmental and misplaced quirkiness of the targeted kid-friendly audience
Chock full of his "Dr. Doolittle" charm, Eddie Murphy's back with this fun-filled family entertainment. There's a delightfully paternal atmosphere despite the inevitable poop and potty jokes.
Falters is in a few awkwardly mechanical, our-script's-too-short contrivances...but still entirely enjoyable as Saturday matinee family fare.
It takes a strong stomach to hold down what Daddy Day Care force-feeds its audience.
Warning: Younger kids will be susceptible to mimicking some of the questionable/bad/dangerous behaviors shown in the movie.
The adult actors ... crawl without security blankets through a playpen script by Geoff Rodkey (who once stayed home with his son while his wife worked!) and Simon Says direction by Steve Carr.
A half-step up from Murphy's last two debacles (I Spy and the immortal The Adventures of Pluto Nash), Daddy is still several miles away from hilarious.
Seems to exist solely to sedate a theater-going public’s offspring. Don’t expect The Witches.
This is a family film that refuses to entertain any family member over age 10.
The problems are firmly rooted in the moderately silly script, excessive potty humor, and a cringe-worthy climax that preaches the evils of neglecting your little ones.
A failed third-rate sitcom is exactly what Daddy Day Care looks and sounds like.
Unfortunately, things peter out very quickly . . ., becoming the cinematic equivalent of the sort of over-sugared junk food that the story continues to decry.
Latest News for Daddy Day Care
August 09, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Chan and Tucker Back in Action
Another wide assortment of summer offerings will hit the multiplexes across North America this weekend. The action-comedy sequel Rush Hour 3 leads the way as the main course and... More...
April 29, 2003:
With Eddie Murphy's grown-up films flopping (Showtime, The Adventures of Pluto Nash), another kid flick seems like a wise choice. ![]()
More...
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