''Why Him?'' is a 2016 American

romantic comedy film Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Romantic comedy e ...

directed by

John Hamburg John Liman Hamburg (born May 26, 1970) is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. Personal life Hamburg was born to a Jewish family in Manhattan, the son of New York City radio personality Joan Hamburg and Morton I. Hamburg. He g ...

, written by Hamburg and Ian Helfer based on a story by

Jonah Hill Jonah Hill (born Jonah Hill Feldstein; December 20, 1983) is an American actor. List of awards and nominations received by Jonah Hill, The accolades he has received include nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, BAFTA ...

, produced by Hill,

Shawn Levy Shawn Adam Levy (; born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian and American filmmaker and actor. He is the founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. His work has spanned numerous genres, and his films as a director have grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwid ...

, and

Ben Stiller Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known for his blend of slapstick humor and sharp wit, Stiller rose to fame through comedies such as ''There's Something About Mary'' (1998), ' ...

, and stars

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has starred in numerous films, including Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002 film series), ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007), ''Milk (2008 American film), Milk'' (200 ...

and

Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor. After taking minor roles in television, he established himself as a leading actor in both comedic and dramatic Bryan Cranston filmography, works on stage and screen. He has received ...

with

Zoey Deutch Zoey Francis Chaya Thompson Deutch ( ; born November 10, 1994) is an American actress and producer. The younger daughter of director Howard Deutch and actress-director Lea Thompson, Deutch made her acting debut in television during the early 20 ...

Megan Mullally Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom '' Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outst ...

Cedric the Entertainer Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian, actor and television host. He hosted BET's '' ComicView'' during the 1993–1994 season and '' Def Comedy Jam'' ...

Griffin Gluck Griffin Alexander Gluck (born August 24, 2000) is an American actor. Gluck began his career as a child actor in comedy films such as ''Just Go with It'' (2011) and ''Why Him?'' (2016). He had his first leading role as a comatose teenager in the ...

and

Keegan-Michael Key Keegan-Michael Key (born March 22, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, producer, and writer. He and Jordan Peele co-created and co-starred in the sketch series '' Key & Peele'' (2012–2015) for which he received one Primetime Emmy Award from ...

in supporting roles. The film follows a father who tries to stop his daughter's immature tech-millionaire boyfriend from asking her to marry him. The film premiered in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on December 17, 2016, was released by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

in the United States on December 23, 2016. It received generally negative reviews from critics, but was a financial success, grossing $118.1 million worldwide on a $52 million budget.

Plot

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

student Stephanie Fleming invites her partner Laird Mayhew over to " Netflix and chill". Meanwhile, back home in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

, Stephanie's dad Ned is celebrating his 55th birthday with friends and family at an

Applebee's Applebee's Restaurants LLC. is an American company that develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar restaurant chain. The Applebee's concept focuses on casual dining, with mainstream American dishes such as salads, ...

. During a slideshow presentation in his honor, Stephanie drops in via webcam to congratulate him, when suddenly Laird walks in on her and flashes the camera. After picking them up at the airport, Stephanie drives her family – parents Ned and Barb and younger brother Scotty – to Laird's

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...

villa to meet him. She explains to Ned that Laird is the CEO of a video game company, which has made him extremely wealthy. Laird gives the family a tour of his house, complete with curse words and inappropriate comments about Barb. He then reveals a large tattoo of the Flemings' Christmas card on his back, complete with "Happy Holidays" written underneath. In the living room is a tank with a moose filled completely with its urine. The basement has a bowling alley that Laird built with a mural of Ned, posed in a "crotch-chop" position. Ned talks to Stephanie about Laird's behavior and she asks him to give him a chance. Later, as Laird goes with Ned for a walk in the woods outside his house, he asks Ned for his blessing to propose to Stephanie. Ned is quick to say no, which completely blindsides Laird, who had been confident that Ned would say yes. Laird promises to win him over. As the family gathers in Laird's living room for Christmas Eve, Laird reveals that he bought Ned's struggling printing company as a gift to remove all his debts. Instead of expressing gratitude, Ned punches Laird in the face and they begin to fight, which culminates in Laird falling into the moose tank, which subsequently breaks and leaves Scotty briefly trapped under the moose. Stephanie and Barb are both angry at their partner's behaviors, and the Flemings leave Laird's home. On Christmas Day, the Flemings are celebrating without Stephanie. They are surprised when Laird's helicopter arrives with Stephanie. She is still mad at both Ned and Laird for their behavior and refuses to talk to either of them. Ned and Laird talk and Laird gets Ned's blessing to propose to Stephanie. However, she declines the proposal saying she is not ready to get married, but she wants them to continue dating. Later during the party, Ned and Scotty approach Laird with a new business idea, since they are all part of the same company now. Scotty suggests they sell the same toilets Laird has in his home since they would be very profitable. Laird likes the idea and agrees. The couples then dance together as music plays, with Ned referring to Laird as "son". Scotty, Ned, and Laird eventually turn the printing company into a toilet factory and become profitable. Stephanie uses the Fleming-Mayhew conglomerate to help underdeveloped countries with their sewage projects. Finally, Laird has what he always wanted, to be part of a family.

Cast

as Laird Mayhew, the eccentric, foul-mouthed, but well-meaning CEO of a video game company and Stephanie's boyfriend *

as Ned Fleming, Stephanie's conservative father and Barb's husband *

as Stephanie Fleming, Laird's girlfriend, Ned and Barb's daughter, and Scotty's older sister *

as Barb Fleming, Ned's wife and Stephanie's mother *

as Lou Dunne, Ned's best friend and business partner *

as Scotty Fleming, Stephanie's 15-year-old younger brother and Ned and Barb's son *

as Gustav, Laird's best friend, butler, assistant and trainer, who also manages his estate * Tangie Ambrose as Patty Dunne, Lou's wife *

Zack Pearlman Zack Pearlman is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Zack in '' The Virginity Hit''. He has co-starred in short-lived television comedies such as MTV's ''The Inbetweeners'' and on the Fox sitcom '' Mulaney''. Early life Pearlma ...

as Kevin Dingle, Ned's I.T. guy *

Kaley Cuoco Kaley Christine Cuoco ( ; born November 30, 1985) is an American actress. She starred as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom '' 8 Simple Rules'' (2002–2005), Penny on the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019), and as the title ch ...

as the voice of Justine, Laird's in-home

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

Casey Wilson Cathryn Rose "Casey" Wilson (born October 24, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. Originally known for her performances with the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe in New York City, Wilson's first major television appe ...

as Missy Pederman, Blaine's sister and the owner of an online invitation company called StampFree Invites *

Andrew Rannells Andrew Scott Rannells (born August 23, 1978) is an American actor. He is best known for originating the role of Elder Kevin Price in the 2011 Broadway musical ''The Book of Mormon (musical), The Book of Mormon'', for which he was nominated for th ...

as Blaine Pederman, Missy's brother and business partner *

Adam DeVine Adam Patrick DeVine (born November 7, 1983) is an American comedian, actor, producer and screenwriter. He is one of the stars and co-creators of the Comedy Central comedy television series '' Workaholics'' and '' Adam DeVine's House Party''. H ...

as Tyson Modell, the creator of the wildly popular Ghostchat app *

Steve Bannos Steve Bannos is an American television and film actor, writer and photo dealer. As an actor, he often had cameos in Judd Apatow and Paul Feig films, and is also known for his portrayal of Frank Kowchevski on the short-lived NBC dramedy ''Freak ...

as Tree Lot Owner Burt *

Mary Pat Gleason Mary Pat Gleason (February 23, 1950 – June 2, 2020) was an American film and television actress and an Emmy Award-winning writer. From 1983 to 1985, she appeared as "Jane Hogan" on the daytime soap opera ''Guiding Light'', for which she was als ...

as Joyce * Bob Stephenson as Jerry in Graphics There are cameos by technology, gaming, and entertainment figures, including

Burnie Burns Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns (born January 18, 1973) is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, host, and director previously based in Austin, Texas. He was a co-founder, former chief executive officer, and former chief creative offic ...

Steve Aoki Steven Hiroyuki Aoki ( , ; born November 30, 1977) is an American DJ and record producer. In 2012, Pollstar designated Aoki as the highest-grossing electronic dance music artist in North America from tours. In 2024, Gold House recognized him as ...

Richard Blais Richard Blais is an American chef, television personality, restaurateur, and author. He appeared on the reality show cooking show ''Top Chef'', and is known for his take on classic American cuisine. Blais was the runner-up for the fourth season ...

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

Toby Turner Tobias Joseph Turner (born March 3, 1985), also known by his stage name Tobuscus, is an American Internet personality, actor, and musician. Originally from Osborn, Mississippi, he is best known for his YouTube videos including vlogs, Let's Pla ...

, and

Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...

and

Paul Stanley Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who was the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss from the band's inception in 1973 to their retireme ...

of ''

KISS A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

''.

Production

On November 18, 2014, it was announced that

and Ian Helfer were co-writing a comedy film, ''Why Him?'', for

. On February 27, 2015,

was in talks to star in the film, playing a young billionaire.

21 Laps Entertainment 21 Laps, Inc., doing business as 21 Laps Entertainment, is an American film and television production company founded and run by filmmaker Shawn Levy. The company is best known as the producers of ''Stranger Things'', and exclusively distributes ...

and

Red Hour Productions Red Hour Productions is an American film production company operated by actor Ben Stiller and formerly with producer Stuart Cornfeld. In the past, Red Hour has had first-look deals with New Line Cinema and 20th Century Fox. History Film The name ...

were set to produce the film, about a Midwestern father who travels with his family to visit his daughter at college, and finds himself disliking her new billionaire boyfriend. On August 25, 2015,

was set to star in the film, playing the father. In August 2015, the film was selected by the

California Film Commission The California Film Commission (CFC) was founded in 1985 by then California Governor George Deukmejian to act in an economic development capacity for the state. It is a part of the California Trade and Commerce Agency, formerly the Business, Tr ...

to receive $5.4 million in tax credits. On December 8, 2015,

was cast in the film's female lead role, as Cranston's character's daughter and the billionaire's girlfriend.

Bryce Dallas Howard Bryce Dallas Howard (born March 2, 1981) is an American actress and director. The eldest child of filmmaker Ron Howard, she studied acting at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. While portraying Characters in As You Like It#Rosali ...

Jordana Brewster Jordana Brewster (born April 26, 1980) is an American actress. She made her acting debut, three weeks after turning 15, in an episode of ''All My Children'' in 1995 and next took on the recurring role as Nikki Munson in ''As the World Turns'', g ...

and

Mélanie Laurent Mélanie Laurent (; born 21 February 1983) is a French actress and filmmaker. She has received two César Awards and a Lumière Award. Internationally, Laurent is known for her roles in ''Inglourious Basterds'' (2009), '' Now You See Me'' (2013 ...

were also considered. On January 12, 2016,

was added to the cast of the film to play Scotty Fleming, the son of Cranston's character. On January 13, 2016,

joined the film to play Barb Fleming, the wife of Ned (Cranston). On January 19, 2016,

was cast as the billionaire's European-hailing estate manager, and following him,

also signed on for a role in the film. Musician

also appeared in the film.

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 mid-February 2016 in

Release

''Why Him?'' was released in the United States on December 23, 2016, by

. It was originally planned for a November 11, 2016 release date.

Home media

''Why Him?'' was released on

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 ...

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 ...

on March 28, 2017.

Box office

''Why Him?'' grossed $60.3 million in the United States and Canada and $57.8 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $118.1 million, against a production budget of $52 million. ''Why Him?'' was expected to gross $10–14 million from 2,917 theaters over its first four days of release. It grossed $3.9 million on its first day and $11 million during its opening weekend (a four-day total of $15.5 million), finishing 4th at the box office.

Critical response

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 ...

, ''Why Him?'' has an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads: "Solidly cast but overall misconceived, ''Why Him?'' offers the odd chuckle, but ultimately adds disappointingly little to its tired father-vs.-fiancé formula." 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 39 out of 100, based on 30 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 "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

Commentary

French political scientist Thibault Muzergues remarks in his book ''The Great Class Shift'' that the film captures the tension created by the contrast in values between the

Protestant work ethic The Protestant work ethic, also known as the Calvinist work ethic or the Puritan work ethic, is a work ethic concept in sociology, economics, and history. It emphasizes that a person's subscription to the values espoused by the Protestantism, Pro ...

of the suburban

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

, as represented by Ned, and the looser approach of Laird and other members of the

creative class The creative class is the posit of American urban studies theorist Richard Florida for an ostensible socioeconomic class. Florida, a professor and head of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management at the University of ...

, a real sociopolitical phenomenon.

References

External links

* * * {{John Hamburg 2016 films 2016 romantic comedy films 2010s Christmas comedy films 20th Century Fox films 21 Laps Entertainment films American Christmas comedy films American romantic comedy films 2010s English-language films English-language Christmas comedy films Films about marriage Films about father–daughter relationships Films directed by John Hamburg Films produced by Ben Stiller Films produced by Jonah Hill Films produced by Shawn Levy Films scored by Theodore Shapiro Films set in Palo Alto, California Films set in Michigan Films shot in Los Angeles Films with screenplays by John Hamburg Red Hour Productions films TSG Entertainment films Films with screenplays by Jonah Hill 2010s American films English-language romantic comedy films