Watched: 06/11/2025
Format: Prime
Viewing: First
Director: Steve Carr
Sometimes coming into a movie and seeing it has an extraordinarily low rating sets you up for success. Daddy Day Care (2003) has a 39 on Metacritic* and a Critics score at RT of 27%.
Honestly, I thought it was fine. Not good, but fine.
It knew what it was - an excuse for kids to be cute and throw in some wholesome jokes. It was clearly intended to be a family movie, and so I can see how critics decided this was bad, hoping for the Eddie Murphy of the 80's and 90's. And I don't automatically give Eddie Murphy a pass. I think I declared Candy Cane Lane the worst movie of 2023. But as a family movie based on its own merits, sure. Daddy Day Care (2003) is.. fine. (I also have seen so many awful movies of late, this feels like Casablanca by comparison)
The movie stars Murphy as a guy trying to run a health food team within a processed food company, who loses his job when his project "Veggie-O's Cereal" bombs. Coming with him is his side-kick, Jeff Garlin. They recruit their former mail-boy, Steve Zahn, to work with the kids. Regina King plays Murphy's wife, who has just started working as an attorney. Anjelica Huston plays the head of a school/ daycare that's run like an intense prep academy. Lacey Chabert plays her assistant. Jonathan Katz plays a City employee keeping tabs on the daycare. Laura Kightlinger is in there. Kevin Nealon. Siobhan Fallon Hogan. And a very small Elle Fanning is one of the kids.
There are requisite jokes and questions about two grown men starting a day care, which now feels maybe a bit dated for some people - my understanding is that there are a lot of stay-at-home dads among Millennials. But once they get past that, we're really onto "ha. Four and five year olds are insane." And, what was funny to me, what an absolutely terrible idea it is to open a day care and think this will be easy in any way.**
There's absolutely moments that feel like pure Eddie Murphy, but I'll let you watch to spot them. I'll just say, his sense of the absurd and silly is impressive.
The Steve Zahn character is an odd artifact of Gen-X nerds entering the entertainment industry which sort of manifested into its final form with James Gunn putting Rocket Raccoon into a movie. But here we get Star Trek references sold without humiliation, just pleasant goofiness (and Klingon spoken on screen!). Plus, a moment about Flash villains that felt a little too close to home.
That all said, the movie does have some structural issues. I'd have liked to have seen the storyline about Eddie Murphy and his kid expanded a bit to explore more of the bonding. I suspect it was there and they cut it out, because you can see stubs of a storyline. And because I was paying particular attention to her, I wanted to know more about Chabert's character was doing and why. Stuff like that.
However, I suspect that a decision was made to keep the movie moving. No matter what else may be an issue, it never slows down, which is a problem I think so many family movies now have. They decide in the third act to put a brake on the jokes and have treacly moments of learning and loving, or a parent moping over sad music after letting their kid down, and this movie flirts with that, but doesn't lean fully into any of that.
Is it stupid?
I mean, the movie knows what it is. Anjelica Huston's character is named Mrs. Harridan. Use of carrot and broccoli costumes are a recurring theme. But it's also a movie to watch with your mom. It's silly and harmless and I'd watch it with my 8 year old niece without worrying about anything on screen.
This may be the least I've seen of Chabert in a film to date. It's possible her part was just really cut down, but I don't know. She has whole scenes without speaking. It's also her only movie of 2003 - tucked in among some TV and voice work. She's fine! And it's nuts to see her working alongside all of these people.
* Amazingly, the re-cast Daddy Day Camp has 1/3rd that Metacritic score at a 13
** Sometimes I wonder how much wrangling kids at my church's Vacation Bible School in middle school and 9th grade taught me how difficult kids can be at an early age
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