![]() Wahlberg and Ferrell are a trustworthy double act (after their initial surprise pairing in "The Other Guys"). A hi-tech shower is predictable but funny and Brad's use of a snowblower to apocalyptic ends is the funniest scene in the movie. Quite a few of the funniest ones are spoiled by the trailer, but there are still a few standout routines that made me guffaw. There are some great farcical sight-gags in this movie. ![]() Tensions rise between the diverse individuals until a breaking point is inevitably reached. Kurt forces the family to 'fight' Christmas on a neutral turf by renting a palatial AirBnB in a snowy wilderness. the apple has not fallen far from the tree there. But their plans are turned upside down when their fathers also turn up for Christmas: Mel Gibson (in a sublime piece of casting) plays Dusty's dad, astronaut-hero Kurt, who is even more macho and extreme than Dusty, and John Lithgow ("Miss Sloane" "The Accountant") plays Brad's airy-fairy father Don. ![]() In the process they vow to try to put aside their attempts at one-upmanship - "the harbour is closed" - in the interests of giving everyone the best Christmas ever. After a poignant school recital, the pair realise the damage that a distributed Christmas is doing to their offspring and they determine to spend Christmas all together this year. Will Ferrell ("Get Hard", "Anchorman") reprises his role as the somewhat incompetent Brad, 'sharing' his family of kids and stepkids with the much more streetwise Dusty (Mark Wahlberg, "Patriot's Day"). (By the way, I never saw "Daddy's Home" (but read the IMDB synopsys): it was not a prerequisite for seeing this movie). Here is another case in point: "Daddy's Home 2", which has some laugh-out-loud comedy moments, but is generally so utterly drenched in schmaltz and sentimentality that the film becomes far harder work than it should be. The balance between the two is the key thing and comedies can sometimes get it wrong (the Bird Woman in "Home Alone 2" for example!). in appearance I might add, not that he was a shovel killer!) John Candy's depressed shower-ring salesman in "Planes Trains and Automobiles" Ron Burgundy bawling in a phone box in "Anchorman". Every great comedy tends to have its bitter-sweet moments: Roberts Blossom as the "shovel-killer" grandad in "Home Alone" (who always reminds me of my late Dad. Comedy and tragedy have always gone together hand-in-hand.
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