Hot Take: Stupid… a little bit funny… but mostly stupid. Highly unlikely you’ll remember what happened in Daddy’s Home 2 when Daddy’s Home 3 comes out in a few years.

Back in 2015, I reviewed Daddy’s Home. I say it that way because while I reviewed Daddy’s Home in 2015 and there’s proof on the website, I hardly remember anything about it. Even after reading my own review, it’s hard to remember much beyond a John Cena cameo at the end of the movie that teased a sequel. While I can still remember Daddy’s Home 2, I need to review it. Although if I ever get short on memory, all I need to do is think “terrible Christmas Vacation rip-off” and maybe it will jog my memory. Daddy’s Home 2 is proof that the only thing lazier than a typical Will Ferrell comedy is a Will Ferrell sequel. 

As vitriolic as that opening paragraph is, I wouldn’t say Daddy’s Home 2 is a complete failure. There are a few funny moments and the additions of Mel Gibson and John Lithgow as the granddads are mostly entertaining. There’s something about Gibson playing a mean and nasty grandfather that feels a little distasteful considering some of his past indiscretions but he plays the part well, for what that’s worth. If you enjoyed Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg in Daddy’s Home, it’s pretty much more of the same. You almost start to wonder if Ferrell is capable of the laughs he produced at the height of his career and 2017 has shown no signs of the past with Ferrell starring in this dud and The House.

Predictable and lazy were the two words that defined the first Daddy’s Home. The same can be said about Daddy’s Home 2. So, at least we can call director and co-writer Sean Anders consistent, right?

“Spoiler Free” Pros

  • Lithgow
    While the addition of Gibson is more noteworthy, John Lithgow has a history of being funny and he has a few funny moments in Daddy’s Home 2. It helps that there aren’t a lot of funny moments but Lithgow definitely stands out.

“Spoiler Free” Cons

  • The Return of John Cena Falls Flat
    Cena’s appearance at the end of Daddy’s Home looked promising if the movie were to ever get a sequel. It did but the return of Cena doesn’t work as well as you’d have thought it would have. 
  • A Distasteful Christmas Tale
    Leave out the casting of Mel Gibson in a crass and uncouth role and you still have a distasteful, cynical and, at times uncomfortable Christmas story that is only fun for the whole family if you’re willing to subject your kids to hard to swallow sexism and questionable messages.