TlhIngan maH! . Review on Daddy Day Care Movie

Ever seen Eddie Murphy minus vulgar jokes? Well he is here in Daddy Day Care

The Background

Charlie (Eddie Murphy) is a career minded, hard working executive in an advertising company trying his level best to make the ends meet with his understanding Law graduate wife Kim (Regina King) and a cute, reserved four-year-old son Ben (Khamani Griffin). This gets tough when they try make their quality of living higher with a Merc-Benz and high-fi day care at the Chapman Academy for ben, run by Ms. Gwyneth Harridan (Anjelica Huston, remember Adams Family). Phil (Jeff Garlin) is his colleague in his project to sell a vegetable cereal Vegie-Os!!

The Story

Things turn a nasty turn when the advertisement company starts downsizing and fires off sizeable employees including Charlie and Phil. With a quality living to support, Kim goes to work and leaves Charlie with a home and Ben to take care!! Unable to accept the rest of his life washing, tending to Ben and cooking, Charlie hits upon an idea of a Day Care Centre for kids at a reasonable price along with Phil. Then is born ''Daddy Day Care''. First they get 6 kids including the ones of Phil and Ben. Then slowly it grows to 11 as more parents remove their kids from Chapman Academy and place them in the Daddy Day Care Center. They rope in their ''mail man'' Marvin (Steve Zahn) as a third caretaker, who is more a kid rather than a grown up.

Guys taking care of one kid is a riot (Remember ''Three men and a baby'' or ''Baby's Day Out''). Imagine 14 kids who are smarter than you and keep you on toes till they fall asleep.

With ''Teddy bear'' Phil, ''Kind hearted'' Charlie and ''Star Trek'' Marvin, the kids have a gala time playing, eating, sleeping and all the while having fun and being just a ''Kid''. This is the theme of the story. Let the kids be kids, dont make them do Trignometry when they are just three-year-old!!!

The Plot

Ms.Harridan gets annoyed by the ''attrition'' and tries to close out DDCC by sending complaints to ''Child Care Services'' (or was it something else) only making DDCC even more stronger each time. But now she resorts to the most unethical way to deal a competition : Sabotage. Does she succeed in that and closing down DDCC? watch it for yourself!!! :)

Now the analysis

Story (4/5)

Pretty original I think, there is no debate on this issue. Even the concept is very funny. Cause traditionally around the globe, kids are looked after by Ladies. Moreover taking care of a four-year-old born in 1999+ is really tough job. Man these kids are ''Born Smart''!!! So interesting concept by Geoff Rodkey.

Plot (3/5)

The plot was very predictable. But think the Director/Writer missed some small things. I dont know much about US Laws/Regulations on Child Care Centres, but how can an open house with dangerous tools could be certified to run a child care for 10 kids!!! Hey, what am I thinking this is just a comedy movie where you should not ''read between lines'' too much ;).

Cast & Characters (4/5)

Eddie Murphy is at his softest and for once he is not the one who gives you the most of the laughs. Yes it is those kids who make you laugh many times. And Eddie has no problem in playing second fiddle to a smart bunch of brats!!!. Phil makes decent side kick for Eddie. But it is Zahn who is the perfect match for the character he plays. Huston makes the perfect ''Evil'' woman for this movie. Those piercing eyes and measured dialogues delivers the ''devilish'' tone to the character, making her even more frightfull!!!.

Regina King is way out of place as Charlie's wife. God she is easily forgotten in the whole movie. Probably she was not given much role or probably she never made good of what she was given!!

Loved the characters assortment of kids. A boy who speaks a cryptic language (which is Klingon!!), another kid with his ''Flash'' costume with mask on past 4 weeks!!, a girl who is more smart for her age, a boy who needs serious potty training (this one is Phil's son), and more....

Comedy (3/5)

Frankly I took this movie with lot of expectations for loads of laughter from Eddie. But I was disappointed to a large extent. Yet the kids compensated that aspect. But wouldnt say the comedy was superlative. It was just OK, not the regular explosive Eddie style. Oh it was very ''decent''. No vulgar words or remarks. He has ''hugely'' refrained from his famous ''suggestive'' antics and dialogues!!!.

Direction (3/5)

Somehow I didnt feel the movie was keeping me seated all the while. It was more like a stage drama rather than a comedy move!! Was that because of the background score? or was that because of the thin plot? or was that because of my huge expectations from Eddie? Or was it that the director didnt get the full performance from many in the cast? Even I felt Eddie was not at his full performance in the initial scenes. It was pretty much rookie stuff what he did there initially. But I will put that blame squarely on the Director for that.

Final Verdict (3/5)

With a wafer thin predictable plot, underperforming cast, not-so-effective direction, Daddy Day Care stands solidly as a funny movie for ''Family'' but might not be in the leagues of ''Car Pool'' or ''Baby's Day out''. Just watcheable...

So wondering what the title meant??? In Klingon it meant ''We are Klingons!''

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