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''Daddy's Home 2'' (titled on screen as ''Daddy's Home Two'') is a 2017 American
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
buddy comedy film directed by
Sean Anders Sean Anders (born June 19, 1969) is an American film director and screenwriter. Career He co-wrote and directed the 2005 film ''Never Been Thawed'', the 2008 film ''Sex Drive (film), Sex Drive'', the 2014 film ''Horrible Bosses 2'', the 2015 f ...
and written by Anders and John Morris. A sequel to '' Daddy's Home'' (2015), it stars
Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell received various accolades, including ...
,
Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, producer, and former rapper. Mark Wahlberg filmography, His work as a leading actor, leading man spans the Comedy film, come ...
,
Linda Cardellini Linda Edna Cardellini (born June 25, 1975) is an American actress. In television, she is known for her starring roles in the teen drama ''Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000), the medical drama ''ER (TV series), ER'' (2003–2009), and the thriller ...
,
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
, with
John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...
and
Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...
. The plot follows now-reformed fathers Brad and Dusty (Ferrell and Wahlberg), now co-parenting Dusty's kids, who have to deal with their own fathers (Lithgow and Gibson) visiting for the holidays. Unlike its predecessor, Red Granite Pictures was not involved in the film's production.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
on the film began in
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
in March 2017 and it was released in the United States by
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
on November 10, 2017. Although the film received generally negative reviews from critics, it grossed over $180 million worldwide against a production budget of $69–70 million.


Plot

As Brad Whitaker and Dusty Mayron continue co-parenting Dylan and Megan, the men decide to have a joint Christmas rather than separate ones, after Megan embarrassingly publicly admits she would prefer one "together Christmas". However, Dusty's tough fighter pilot/
Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...
astronaut father Kurt and Brad's overbearing and cheerful father Don unexpectedly arrive for Christmas. Megan and Dylan warmly embrace Don, as he is very present in their lives, while Kurt hasn't seen them since they were toddlers. Envious of the affection the children show Don, Kurt rents a large cabin to house them all through the holiday week. Brad and Dusty's co-parenting is put to the test by Kurt's meddling. Dusty's resentment of Kurt mainly stems from his frequent absences as a child. Especially painful was when, during a youth Glee Club recital, he embarrassed himself by missing his solo part when Kurt left to make out with a woman during it. Meanwhile, Sara tries to bond with Karen, but is appalled by her behavior. She later becomes concerned with Don's wife's absence, who he claims couldn't come as she is taking care of her ill brother. Dylan develops a crush on Casey, a little girl staying in the cabin nearby, causing Megan and Adrianna to constantly tease him in front of her. Brad gives him some "advice", and Dusty interjects when he thinks Brad is having what looks like "the talk" with Dylan, although they had agreed to do it together. As the trees on the Christmas tree farm are small, Kurt suggests they illegally cut one down. Brad mistakes a cell phone tower for a tree and is electrocuted. Brad, Dusty, Don and Kurt go to an improv comedy club, where they are enjoying themselves until Kurt picks up a woman at the bar, annoying Dusty. Brad enters Don into the improv show, and Dusty chooses the topic of a husband confronting his cheating wife as the subject of the skit. As it progresses, it is revealed that Don and his wife are divorced, shocking Brad. Sara comforts Don about his divorce, but when Dusty reveals his part in the skit, Don and Brad become furious and Dusty and Brad's relationship becomes strained. Brad, attempting to get back at Dusty, invites Adrianna's father Roger, who intimidates Dusty. The entire family takes part in a live nativity. Brad fights with Dusty, wanting to play Joseph. A drunken Megan begins to swear, and an equally drunk Adrianna falls from her platform, then the crowd breaks up. Instead of Dusty fighting Brad, he almost fights Roger, and Don is repeatedly hit in the face with ice-balls. On Christmas Day, the families, depressed from all the arguing, pack up to leave. On their way out of town, they are forced to take shelter in a cinema, due to a blizzard. They see ''Missile Tow'', a holiday action comedy film starring
Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Liam Neeson, several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, BAFT ...
. When the power cuts off during the movie, everyone goes to the lobby where each man confronts his father about his secrets, lies, and attitudes, then reconcile. Remembering Kurt's advice, Dylan walks toward the girl he has a crush on to kiss her, but instead kisses Adrianna. Kurt pushes Dusty to stand up to Adrianna and punish her for her recent behavior, but he instead tells her he loves her. He then tells Roger he also loves him, as he is also part of the family. Roger almost leaves without Adrianna, but has a change of heart after everyone breaks out singing "
Do They Know It's Christmas? "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup assembled by Geldof and Ure consisting of pop ...
" (during which the power comes back on) and he decides to stay. At the airport, Don and Kurt are preparing to head back to their respective homes where Kurt reveals to Don that he switched out the tickets and they are going to spend New Year's together in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. As Brad's mother arrives, Dusty and Brad discover Brad's new stepfather is Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, pilot of the 2009 " Miracle on the Hudson" flight, and Dusty appears to be excited to meet him. However, an infuriated Brad runs down the terminal, screaming that Sully will never replace his father.


Cast

*
Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell received various accolades, including ...
as Brad Whitaker, Sara's husband, Dylan and Megan's stepfather *
Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, producer, and former rapper. Mark Wahlberg filmography, His work as a leading actor, leading man spans the Comedy film, come ...
as Dusty Mayron, Kurt's son, Karen's husband, Adrianna's stepfather *
John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...
as Don Whitaker, Brad's father, Sara's father-in law *
Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...
as Kurt Mayron, Dusty's father *
Linda Cardellini Linda Edna Cardellini (born June 25, 1975) is an American actress. In television, she is known for her starring roles in the teen drama ''Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000), the medical drama ''ER (TV series), ER'' (2003–2009), and the thriller ...
as Sara Whitaker, Brad's wife, Dylan and Megan's mother *
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
as Roger, Adrianna's father, Karen's ex-husband * Scarlett Estevez as Megan Mayron, Dusty and Sara's daughter * Owen Vaccaro as Dylan Mayron, Dusty and Sara's son *
Alessandra Ambrosio Alessandra Corine Ambrósio (; born 11 April 1981) is a Brazilian model. She is known for her work with Victoria's Secret and was chosen as the first spokesmodel for the company's Pink (Victoria's Secret), PINK line. She was a Victoria's Secret A ...
as Karen Mayron, Dusty's wife * Didi Costine as Adrianna, Roger and Karen's daughter, Dusty's step-daughter * Bill Burr as Jerry *
Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Liam Neeson, several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, BAFT ...
as himself (voice) * Priscilla Manning as Ginny Whitaker, Brad's mother *
Sully Sullenberger Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III (born January 23, 1951) is an American retired aircraft pilot, diplomat and aviation safety expert. He is best known for his actions as Pilot in command, captain of US Airways Flight 1549 on January ...
as Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, Brad's stepfather * Yamilah Saravong as Casey, Dylan's girlfriend * Daniel DiMaggio as Young Dusty


Production

In April 2016, the sequel was announced, with
Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell received various accolades, including ...
and
Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, producer, and former rapper. Mark Wahlberg filmography, His work as a leading actor, leading man spans the Comedy film, come ...
reprising their roles,
Sean Anders Sean Anders (born June 19, 1969) is an American film director and screenwriter. Career He co-wrote and directed the 2005 film ''Never Been Thawed'', the 2008 film ''Sex Drive (film), Sex Drive'', the 2014 film ''Horrible Bosses 2'', the 2015 f ...
and John Morris writing the script, and Anders directing. In January 2017, it was reported that
Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...
and
John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...
were being sought to play the main characters' fathers in the film. The two were later confirmed to star, along with
Linda Cardellini Linda Edna Cardellini (born June 25, 1975) is an American actress. In television, she is known for her starring roles in the teen drama ''Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000), the medical drama ''ER (TV series), ER'' (2003–2009), and the thriller ...
,
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
, Owen Vaccaro and Scarlett Estevez, reprising their roles.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
began on March 20, 2017. Scenes were filmed in
Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is n ...
, Clinton, Massachusetts,
Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston ...
,
Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen, Massachusetts, Methuen ...
and
Great Barrington, Massachusetts Great Barrington is a New England town, town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,172 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Bot ...
.


Release

The film was released in the United States on November 10, 2017. ''Daddy's Home 2'' was released on Digital HD on February 6, 2018, and was released on
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
and
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
on February 20, 2018.


Reception


Box office

''Daddy's Home 2'' grossed $104 million in the United States and Canada, and $76.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $180.6 million, against a production budget of $69–70 million. In the United States and Canada, ''Daddy's Home 2'' opened alongside ''
Murder on the Orient Express ''Murder on the Orient Express'' is a work of detective fiction by English writer Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 1 January 1934. In the U ...
'', and was projected to gross around $20 million from 3,575 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $10.7 million on its first day, including $1.5 million from Thursday night previews at 2,500 theaters, up from the $1.2 million made by the first film. It went on to debut to $29.7 million, finishing second at the box office, behind holdover '' Thor: Ragnarok'' ($57 million). In its second weekend, the film made $14.4 million (a drop of 51.3%), finishing 4th behind ''
Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
'', '' Wonder'' and ''Thor: Ragnarok''.


Critical response

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, ''Daddy's Home 2'' holds an approval rating of based on reviews, and an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, "A formulaic comedy that's unlikely to spread much yuletide merriment, ''Daddy's Home 2'' can only muster a few stray yuks from its talented cast." On
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 30 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...
gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.
Alonso Duralde Alonso Duralde (born May 18, 1967) is an American film critic, author, and podcaster. He has been a writer and editor for ''The Film Verdict'', ''The Wrap'', ''The Advocate (LGBT magazine), The Advocate'' and MSNBC.com. Personal life Duralde ...
of ''
TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news organization that covers the business of entertainment and media. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles. The site features original reporting, analysis, and editor ...
'' was critical of what he described as the film's sloppiness and laziness, saying, "Director Sean Anders and his co-writer John Morris execute what are supposed to be the laughs with blunt force. The jokes announce themselves with heavy footsteps, and almost none of them land, stranding a talented cast with terrible material that they're straining to sell."
Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American writer. He is a former columnist and film critic for the '' Chicago Sun-Times'', where he wrote for 39 years dating back to 1986 until his departure in 2025. He co-hosted the television s ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' gave the film 1 out of 4 stars, saying: "After enduring last week's lousy and lazy '' A Bad Moms Christmas'', I would have bet it would be many a year before we'd see another holiday comedy more sour and cynical and profoundly unfunny. I sit corrected." Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, writing, "I found the sequel better than the original—the writing sharper, the jokes fresher and smarter, the comic interaction between the lead characters consistently engaging. I mentioned this to my incredulous wife, who said, 'So you're saying it's the '' Godfather, Part 2'' of the ''Daddy's Home'' series'."


Accolades


Possible sequel

In an interview,
Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, producer, and former rapper. Mark Wahlberg filmography, His work as a leading actor, leading man spans the Comedy film, come ...
mentioned that he would like to get
Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Liam Neeson, several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, BAFT ...
for the third installment of the film.


See also

*
List of Christmas films Many Christmas stories have been Christmas film, adapted to feature films and TV specials, and have been broadcast and repeated many times on television. Since the popularization of home video in the 1980s, these films are sold and re-sold every ...


References


External links

* {{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor 2017 comedy films 2017 films 2010s American films 2010s Christmas comedy films 2010s Christmas films 2010s English-language films American Christmas comedy films American sequel films Films about dysfunctional families Films about masculinity Films directed by Sean Anders Films produced by Adam McKay Films produced by John Morris (filmmaker) Films produced by Will Ferrell Films scored by Michael Andrews Films set in a movie theatre Films shot in Massachusetts Films with screenplays by John Morris (filmmaker) Films with screenplays by Sean Anders Gary Sanchez Productions films Golden Raspberry Award–winning films Paramount Pictures films English-language Christmas comedy films Films about father–son relationships