Daddy Day Camp Review
by [email protected] (dnb AT dca DOT net)August 14th, 2007
DADDY DAY CAMP
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 2007 David N. Butterworth
*1/2 (out of ****)
The things one does for oneâeTMs kids...
Taking them to see "Daddy Day Camp," for example, a follow-up to 2003âeTMs sweet and funny "Daddy Day Care," which starred Eddie Murphy and Jeff Garlin as a couple of downsized corporate types who start a successful home-based daycare center much to the chagrin of their snooty rival (played by Anjelica Huston), who heads up the prestigious Chapman Academy.
Sweet and funny are not words to describe "Daddy Day Camp." Lame and puerile are. Gone are "âeTMDay Care"âeTMs likable leads, gone is Regina King (as MurphyâeTMs wife), and gone is Steve Zahn (as the boysâeTM Trekkie co-worker). In fact, just about everyone and everything connected with the original film are AWOL with the exception of writer Geoff Rodkey, who this time around is aided and abetted by an additional four (!) screenwriters. Needless to say itâeTMs their combined contributions that are largely responsible for said lame and puerile quotient.
Replacing Murphy and Garlin are Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Paul Rae and while the latter could quite easily be mistaken for Garlin on any given Sunday itâeTMs pretty much a well-documented fact of life that Cuba is no Eddie. Oh sure, Cuba Gooding, Jr. has his rightful place in the film world all right. HeâeTMs certainly not untalented, thatâeTMs for sure (he won an Academy AwardÂ(r) for "Jerry McGuire" after all, showing us the money and all that, not that an Oscar win in and of itself is particularly meaningful of course). But lately heâeTMs become something of a joke, having hitched his wagon to a number of poorly received projects such as "Snow Dogs" and "Boat Trip." Alas, "Daddy Day Camp" should not improve his marketability any.
The head scratching begins early on. From the opening credits, Charlie and Phil's babysitting service appears to be in chaos... but arenâeTMt these stay-at-home Dads supposed to be good at their jobs? Are they even supposed to be the same people as in the original film? No, wait. Their names are different. OK. But if these guys canâeTMt run a pre-school program then what chance do they have of running a summer camp? It doesnâeTMt seem to bother them however. For when Charlie learns that the old Camp Driftwood he attended as a child is headed for the auction block, and that his old arch enemy from those carefree, bygone days, Lance Warner (Lochlyn Munro), who runs the spiffy up-market camp next door, wants to buy the place, Charlie signs on the dotted line faster than you can say "second mortgage." ThatâeTMs when Brian Doyle-Murray, as DriftwoodâeTMs current caretaker Uncle Morty, takes off and with him any chance of a chuckle not featuring an outhouse.
Flatulence, vomit, skunk emissions, and the occasional exploding toilet are "Daddy Day Camp"âeTMs keys to "success." All those are tiresome enough but itâeTMs when the film gets serious, what with the strained relationship between Charlie and his retired military father Col. Buck Hinton (Richard Gant) as well as CharlieâeTMs suffering relationship with his own child, that Fred SavageâeTMs film really sticks in the craw.
Yes, thatâeTMs *the* Fred Savage, formerly of "The Wonder Years," all grown up (at 31) and directing now. Although after "Daddy Day Camp" IâeTMd be surprised if anyone lets him get behind a camera again.
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David N. Butterworth
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
