Der Kindergarten Daddy (2003)

Der Kindergarten Daddy: Directed by Steve Carr. With Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin, Steve Zahn, Regina King. Two men, Charlie Hinton (Eddie Murphy) and Phil Ryerson (Jeff Garlin), get laid off and have to become stay-at-home dads when they can’t find jobs. This inspires them to open their own day-care center.

“Caught this today on DVD with a buddyu0026#39;s grand-kids, and was pleasantly surprised. I have given it 9 out of 10, not for pure artistic merit, but as a funny u0026#39;family-filmu0026#39;. Certainly, the current rating here at IMDb is pessimistic. There are only 2 or 3 decent films of this sort produced annually in Hollywood, the rest being utter trash.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eEddie Murphy plays a more subdued role than we might expect as a high-powered u0026#39;playeru0026#39; in the ad game, with little time for his family. A sudden change finds him desperate for work or an enterprise, in a plot ploy reminiscent of Michael Keatonu0026#39;s u0026quot;Mr. Momu0026quot;. The unfolding action finds Eddie scrambling to operate a day care facility with frenetic partners Jeff Garlin and, later, Steve Zahn. Murphy allows that duo to handle the slapstick end of things. He remains the thinker and the one who calms the waves of lunacy, allowing the plot to move forward to the next challenge facing our heroes.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe satirical side of this story is shown by examining the competing (snotty) daycare center of the always-delightful Angelica Huston, reprising her u0026#39;vampy villainessu0026#39; role of u0026quot;Ever Afteru0026quot;. She runs a sophisticated academy for toddlers that Fraser and Niles Crane might envy (but it really needs to be taken down a peg or two).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRefreshing, too, is the portrayal of the daycare inspector unleashed on Eddie by Huston. Instead of the typical clichéd grump who threatens and hollers, we get a tender, supportive fella who really wants the boys to succeed (we find out why at the end – watch the puppet show carefully!).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGarlin is the closest thing Iu0026#39;ve seen to a replacement for our departed and dear John Candy, a slightly over-sized actor who can combine tenderness with slapstick! Zahn was an unusual sidekick fit as u0026#39;Giordinou0026#39; to McConaugheyu0026#39;s u0026#39;Dirk Pittu0026#39; in u0026quot;Saharau0026quot;, and, here as a hapless Trekkie, impresses with his comedic timing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOther notables pop up in supporting roles, and the kids are terrific. Enjoy! u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFinal word to other actors of (former) glory: check your ego at the door, share the limelight with a great supporting cast and find a real script with likable or compelling characters. in no particular order.”