Daddy Day Care Review

Murphy plays a surprisingly toned-down Dad, Charlie, who gets retrenched from his high-roller job in advertising when the company closes down it's health food section. He and fellow retrenchee Phil; Jeff Garlin, find themselves with time on their hands in the playground, no longer able to afford daycare at the swank Chapman Academy run by Miss Harridan, Angelica Huston, which specialises in teaching 4 year olds 5 languages. Finally seeing a gap in the market Charlie talks Phil into opening up their own Daddy Day Care, with very mixed results at first, but when their former mailroom boy Marvin, Steve Zahn, joins them they start to soar in the childcare stakes. I expected an over-the-top comedic turn by Murphy and Co. But I was actually really surprised by how enchanting I found this G-rated film. Murphy actually turns in a performance as opposed to a 'Performance', and the young actor Khamani Griffin who plays his son Ben in the film is a natural - he's wonderful, all the kids are. I was less impressed by Jeff Garlin but as soon as Steve Zahn enters the picture the interest level zooms up. He's very good. Credit must go to director Steve Carr who worked with Murphy on Dr. Doolittle 2, The Klumps and to first-time screenwriter Geoff Rodkey. It's a really sweet film that has something to say about force-feeding our young ones as opposed to letting them just enjoy being children.Comments by Davod StrattonSad to see Eddie Murphy ruining his once promising career with this drek. Dismally unfunny comedy which thinks toilet jokes are rib-smacking.