“Daddy Day Care” (Columbia Pictures)
Do you remember the days when Eddie Murphy was a pretty raunchy comic His one-man concert shows were rated R and they deserved it. Now he has become “Dr. Doolittle” as well as the ideal father in movies such as his new one “Daddy Day Care.” It’s a new day, a new Eddie, and a lot of family entertainment.
In “Daddy Day Care” Murphy plays Charlie Hinton. He is married and his wife Kim (Regina King) is a brand new attorney. They have one son Ben (Khamani Griffin), and life is good. Then Charlie loses his job. Now it is necessary to find a day care situation for Ben as Kim has to join the workforce while Charlie looks for a job.
The only possible day care acceptable for Ben is the Chapman Academy, which is run by a martinet known as Miss Harridan (Anjelica Huston). However the cost of this “academy” is too high and Charlie just can’t afford it. He is at his wit’s end until he comes up with the idea of opening a daycare of his own. He enlists the aid of his fired co-worker Phil (Jeff Garlin) and they start the school at Charlie’s home.
Watching these two guys try to take care of ten or so four year olds provides most of the comedy in the movie. They are clueless as to what it takes to be a good care provider. Then they have the evil Miss Harridan filing complaints with the city about their facility and techniques. It is a case of learning the hard way before the city shuts them down.
Murphy is low key in this movie and basically takes a back seat to the antics of the kids. That is a wise move as each of the kids on screen is a scene-stealer, especially Griffin who plays Ben. This kid looks like an angel and acts with enthusiasm and naturalness. He appears to have bonded with Murphy so their father-son moments ring true.
Garlin is a good crony for Murphy’s role. He has a knack for physical comedy and uses it to entertain the kids on screen and the audience watching. Steve Zahn also has some goofy moments as Marvin, another member of the “Daddy Day Care” staff.
Huston is wonderful as Miss Harridan. In the final scenes when she is getting her comeuppance you will be howling along with the younger members of the audience. Lacey Chabert is also pleasant in the film as Harridan’s assistant. You will remember her from her role as Claudia in TV’s “Party of Five.”
The movie is rated PG for mild profanity, but is certainly suitable for all family members.
How much you enjoy this movie will depend on how funny you find the antics of kids for they are basically the whole show. Murphy is there primarily to be the moral compass for the film. He says the lines, which define the lessons to be learned about family and priorities.
You won’t be knocked over by the fun of “Daddy Day Care” but you definitely will have a good time. Between a gentle Eddie, a super-shrewish Huston, and a gaggle of cute kids; there is a lot of heart and humor to be found here.
I scored “Daddy Day Care” a well-tended 6 out of 10.
