It's early in 2016 and generally, this is the time of year that the best, potentially award-winning movies are released. There are plenty of "good" movies that I do want to see, but I find it hard to resist a Will Ferrell comedy. My first theatre movie of 2016 is Daddy's Home. 

PLOT- Brad Whitaker (Will Farrell) loves being a family man. He has a solid job at a local smooth jazz radio station, volunteers in his community, and will do anything necessary to ensure the happiness of his wife, Sara (Linda Cardellini) and two step-children, Megan (Scarlett Estevez) and Dylan (Owen Veccaro). A few years into their marriage, just as his step-children are accepting him as a father figure, Brad is blindsided by the sudden arrival of Sara's ex-husband, Dusty (Mark Wahlberg). Slick, intimidating, and irresponsible, Dusty is the polar-opposite of Brad. The only thing that the men seem to have in common, is a family that they both desperately want. Will Dusty be able to win Sara back? Will Brad lose his dream family?

LIKE- I laughed. A lot. The magic is in the cast. Farrell and Wahlberg are perfect as adversaries. Although some of the jokes were given away in the trailers, there were many that came as a surprise, some even shocking. The ending is expected, however the way that it comes together was unexpected, creating a sweet, feel-good moment. I had the warm fuzzies. Daddy's Home uses humor to tackle the sensitive and difficult scenarios that arise from divorce and blended families. 

DISLIKE- I'm not a fan of too much physical comedy. Daddy's Home had a few outlandish scenes, like a motorcycle ride gone wrong and a scene where Ferrell's character gets electrocuted. The humor fell flat in these moments and they were unnecessary. Subtle humor would have played funnier. 

RECOMMEND- This isn't a big screen, award winner....but it's a worthy rental, especially if you're a Ferrell fan. We walked out of the cinema with a smile.