Daddy’s Home 2 (2017)

When Christmas turns into a family reunion nobody asked for 🎄😬


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🎬 Trailers

Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers, shall we? They set the stage for what is basically Daddy’s Home cranked up to full-blown Christmas chaos.

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📜 Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

The sequel picks up after the uneasy truce between Brad (Will Ferrell) and Dusty (Mark Wahlberg). They’ve managed to become “co-dads” for the kids, but that fragile peace gets upended when both of their fathers show up for Christmas. Cue the chaos: Dusty’s macho, emotionally distant dad (Mel Gibson) and Brad’s overly affectionate, touchy-feely dad (John Lithgow). Two extremes, two different brands of dysfunction — and a holiday vacation that quickly spirals into disaster territory.


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🔄 How It Stacks Against the First Film

Daddy’s Home 1 was already a clash-of-dads comedy, with Ferrell and Wahlberg’s chemistry carrying most of the laughs. It leaned more on physical comedy and the stepdad vs. dad rivalry. Daddy’s Home 2 doesn’t reinvent the wheel; it just adds another generation to the mess. Instead of fresh dynamics, it often feels like “the same joke, but louder,” only saved by the holiday setting and the addition of Lithgow’s awkward wholesomeness vs. Gibson’s toxic bravado.


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👨‍👩‍👧 Character Rundown

Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell) – The endlessly awkward, overly sensitive stepdad who just wants everyone to get along. Still the film’s punching bag, both literally and figuratively.

Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberg) – The “cool dad” who’s tough but secretly insecure, always trying to maintain his alpha edge while juggling this co-dad setup.

Don Whitaker (John Lithgow) – Brad’s dad, the picture of affectionate awkwardness. He hugs, he kisses, he overshares — basically Brad’s personality turned up to 11.

Kurt Mayron (Mel Gibson) – Dusty’s father, and the complete opposite of Don. Gruff, blunt, womanizing, and toxic to a fault. He’s the firestarter who fuels most of the tension.

Sara Whitaker (Linda Cardellini) – Brad’s wife, often sidelined but still the voice of reason.

Karen (Alessandra Ambrosio) – Dusty’s partner, who stirs up jealousy and tension with her presence.

The Kids – More props than characters, but they’re caught in the whirlwind of dad vs. granddad madness.



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⏱️ Pacing / Episode Flow

The movie zips along in typical holiday-comedy fashion. The first act sets up the extended family reunion, the middle act spirals into awkward antics (shooting ranges, inappropriate Christmas plays, snowball fights), and the final act cranks up the sentimentality. Sometimes the chaos feels too forced, like the writers were checking off “holiday movie checklist” boxes rather than letting the comedy breathe.


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✅ Pros

The chemistry between Ferrell and Wahlberg still works.

Lithgow is a riot as the overbearing dad.

A few genuinely funny holiday gags (snowball fight, thermostat showdown).

Christmas setting gives it an extra layer of cozy chaos.

The one scene I actually liked: the thermostat

Credit where it’s due: the thermostat scene is hilarious. Every dad in the house magnetically materializing at the hallway thermostat like it’s Excalibur? Perfect. The way they treat that dial like sacred ground—no one under 40 is allowed to touch it, universal dad law—had me cackling. It’s the one bit where the movie nails a relatable, stupidly specific family ritual and just rides the joke to the exact right beat. If the whole film had that energy, we’d be talking way more positively.

The use of Do They Know It’s Christmas? by Band Aid is a surprisingly strong musical moment — the song’s weight and seasonal vibe elevate what would otherwise be just another chaotic singalong.

Let them know its Christmas time!

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❌ Cons

Mel Gibson as the edgy grandpa is a mixed bag; sometimes funny, sometimes just gross.

The movie leans too heavily on slapstick, losing the sharper humor of the first film.

The heartwarming family message feels rushed and undercooked.

Kids and wives are basically sidelined in what is supposed to be a family comedy.

The Mel Gibson problem

Look, Mel Gibson showing up as the “edgy/grandpa says the quiet part loud” guy is already uncomfortable… and not just because the character’s a jerk. It’s Mel Gibson. All that real-life baggage walks into the scene before he does. So when the movie tries to play his chaos as “haha, gruff old-school dad,” it just feels gross to me. The jokes land harsher, the mean streak feels meaner, and instead of laughing I’m sitting there thinking, “why did we cast this dude to be the fun kind of toxic?” It drags the whole vibe down.



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📝 Final Thoughts

Daddy’s Home 2 is messy, goofy, and overstuffed — but it’s also a fun holiday watch if you’re in the right mood. The Christmas backdrop elevates it just enough to make it memorable, even if most of the jokes are hit-or-miss. The grandpa dynamic adds freshness but also drags the tone all over the place. It’s not a Christmas classic, but it’s decent holiday comfort food if you like watching Will Ferrell scream and Mark Wahlberg roll his eyes.

⭐ Rating: 7/10


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⚠️ Spoiler Warning ⚠️

What follows digs into the film’s big Christmas antics and its chaotic finale.


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🎄 Spoilers

From the start, it’s clear Don (Lithgow) and Kurt (Gibson) are going to be oil and water. Don smothers everyone with hugs and kisses (at one point, a full-on lip smooch with Brad that makes everyone squirm), while Kurt leans into offensive jokes and constant mockery. Their clash puts Brad and Dusty back at odds, and the “co-dad peace” starts to unravel.

The Christmas pageant scene is where things begin to spiral. The kids’ play gets hijacked when Brad, Dusty, and Kurt start sniping at each other from the audience, turning what should’ve been a wholesome moment into open family warfare in front of a crowd. Later, a snowball fight breaks out with the kids joining in, and Brad gets absolutely pummeled, buried in snow like a cartoon character. It’s physical comedy dialed up so far it feels like slapstick Looney Tunes chaos in live action.

Then comes the big movie theater sequence. On Christmas Eve, the entire family goes out for a singalong screening, and tensions finally boil over. Kurt provokes Brad until he explodes, Dusty tries to assert himself as the “alpha,” and Don breaks down under the pressure. Their fight turns into a full-blown family meltdown in the middle of a packed theater — people are shouting, kids are crying, and somehow it leads into everyone singing Do They Know It’s Christmas? together. It’s cheesy, absurd, and somehow the only thing that temporarily mends the fractures.

The ending pulls everything into a neat bow. Kurt softens slightly, Don finds his backbone, Brad and Dusty reaffirm their shaky alliance, and the kids wake up to a “perfect” Christmas morning. But the film can’t resist one more gag: John Cena appears as Roger, the biological dad of Dusty’s stepdaughter, setting up yet another round of parental chaos for any future installment.