The Sweet Reason Why Will Ferrell Wanted To Do Daddy's Home

Since becoming Hollywood’s go-to guy for chuckles and laughs in the early 2000s, Will Ferrell has appeared in a mixture of both family and more mature comedies. It turns out that one of the main reasons wh Ferrell decided to sign up for his latest, Daddy’s Home , is that it offered him the chance to return to family comedies, which was something that he just so happened to be very interested in doing.

Will Ferrell made this admission at the recent New York press conference for Daddy’s Home, a family comedy that sees Ferrell re-team with Mark Wahlberg as a warring stepfather and father hell-bent on winning the affection of the kids caught in the middle. The comedian said he was looking for a new comedy that once again paired him with Mark Wahlberg – who he successfully worked with on 2010’s The Other Guys – and Daddy’s Home offered them the opportunity to do so in a different, more family-orientated way. Ferrell explained:

I think it was a nice change of pace, cause it was fun to approach this, while being just as funny, it was nice to get into a family movie. Something that explores this idea of the blended family, which is becoming more and more common, rather than uncommon. And the fact that it would be funny and also have a nice message to it, so this was a nice segueway for us to have a second film together.

While plenty of us are used to seeing Will Ferrell appearing in naughtier and R-rated comedies like Step Brothers, the two Anchorman films, The Other Guys, and the appalling Get Hard earlier this year, Daddy’s Home is his latest attempt to make a film for a family audience. 

In the past, Ferrell has starred in the likes of Land Of The Lost, Kicking And Screaming, Megamind, Elf, and The LEGO Movie, with the latter two especially being gloriously entertaining flicks that every one of all ages can enjoy. 

How does Daddy’s Home compare? Well, you can check out my review by clicking here. But let me just admit here and now that it doesn’t quite measure up to the genius of The LEGO Movie and Elf, though it still features enough laughs and heart to make for a fun family film for the festive season. Plus seeing Ferrell being constantly emasculated by Mark Wahlberg never gets old.

Daddy’s Home is part of a rather impressive Christmas Day slate that includes The Hateful Eight, Joy, Point Break, The Revenant, and Concussion, while Star Wars: The Force Awakens is also still on the loose. 

Gregory Wakeman