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Friday, September 13, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD DADDY'S HOME 2
EDITOR'S PICK
Daddy's Home 2': A gooey Christmas pudding (Review By Subhash K. Jha
; Rating:*** )
It is important to understand that political correctness is not always the right
route to take for escapist excursions while courting laughter. "Daddy's Home 2",
which takes the rather engaging sparring game in the first film between two
neighbouring dads to the next generation is a whirpool of improper guffaws,
well-intended potshots at sacred cows of the traditional family get-togethers.
But for crying out loud, and laughing out strong, can't we just have fun without
looking anxiously over our shoulder at life through the prism of isms?
So now here is the thing. Dads Will Farrell and Mark Wahlberg are no longer at
loggerheads. Their fathers are. And the fact that actors of Mel Gibson and John
Lithgow's stature play the warring patriarchs just dads... I mean, adds so much
sauce to the turkey topping. Having spent a large part of my movie experience
watching Gibson's "Mad Max" act, it's delightful to see him play a Madder Max,
who is thrown into the Christmas spirit with sweeter-than-plumcake John Lithgow.
Just the night before I had fun with this Christmassy concoction, I saw Lithgow
as a hardboiled tycoon in the ecological drama "Dinner With Beatriz". He is a
complete contrast here as a moony dad who meets his son Will Farrell at the
airport with a passionate kiss on the lips, much to the disgust of Gibson who
can't get along with son Mark Wahlberg let alone smooch him.
Lithgow and Gibson hold the sprawling narrative together. The heaving lurching
cast comprises kids of both the sexes from two families their moms, dads and
grand dads, all in a travelling mode. The plot has some razorsharp humour, and
not all of it is decorous.
But why must we relinquish the fun that we had at the movies when every
character and situation was not scrutinized for political correctness?
I am appalled to see some reviews do a Harvey Weinstein check on the male member
of the cast, digging into their alleged offences in the past to prove why they
are unfit to be enjoyable entertainers any more.
Give yourself a break from the pressures of looking for relevances in every
frame, and "Daddy's Home 2" will give you that year-end pressure release from
the "Padmavati" controversy that you were searching for in the movies.
The climax is located in the lobby of a multiplex theatre with the entire cast
crooning "Do They Know It's Christmas".
Awwww to that. And can you please put away that Weinstein moral-o-metre and just
let the comedy be?
In the sequel to the 2015 global smash, father and stepfather, Dusty (Mark
Wahlberg) and Brad (Will Ferrell) have joined forces to provide their kids with
the perfect Christmas. Their newfound partnership is put to the test when
Dusty’s old-school, macho Dad (Mel Gibson) and Brad’s ultra-affectionate and
emotional Dad (John Lithgow) arrive just in time to throw the holiday into
complete chaos.
