Aug 06, 2003 04:07 PM
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(Updated Aug 06, 2003 04:29 PM)
Lesson 1 : Chapter 0.0
By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong.
DAD can be expanded into a Quasi-realistic phenomenon titled DO-AND-DIE. It has long been argued as to who makes the Perfect Parent, The Dad OR The Mom. Well, it's an ubiquitous theory that MOM's are the cynosure of all eyes when it comes to managing kids. They carry the baby in the crib of inequitable comfort for Nine Months, undergo the horrendous ordeal of a Delivery (More Horrifying than the Project Delivery that I'm currently answerable to, all the software engineers will agree !!), then nurture the chubby cheeks and dimple chins with all the care Mother Earth has replenished them with. The kids love the MUMMY potions and gnaw at the DADDY lotions. But, is this a natural occurence or is it something the EXTREMELY UNPREDICTABLE SPECIES called KIDS have got stamped in their GENETIC SEQUENCE ? Why can't the much abominable DADDYs be given a chance to show their expertise in Parenting TakeNoLogic ?
Lesson 2 : Chapter 1.0
A baby is an alimentary canal with a loud voice at one end and no responsibility at the other.
Columbia Pictures in association with the Revolution Studios tries to give the above proposition a new look through the Joi de Vivre 'DADDY DAY CARE'. The DADs too, have a share in the raising of the vivacious specimens and if, none other than The Master Creator in the form of Destiny goads them to take up the new assignment in whatever form it comes in, they don't have much of a choice. So, It's EDDIE MURPHY as DAD Charlie Hinton who takes centrestage to perfect the art of DADDY-RAISING-KID TakeNoLogic (No Technology here !!). The subject in concern is his KidBoy Ben played with a superb sense of comic timing by the Cute and Talented KHAMANI GRIFFIN. The Mummy part is equally definitive, thanks to Hinton's Lawyer Wife Kim (A Dusky Beauty Regina King) who seems to continuously encourage The PAPA Bear to implement his experimentations, The Chaos notwithstanding. But, what about the nature of the Kids ? Are they as peaceloving and conducive as ever when it comes to spending all the time with DAD with the MOM being the significant absentee all day long ?
Lesson 3 : Chapter 2.0
Give a small boy a hammer and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding.
So, It all starts when the glib-talking marketing executive Hinton tries to strike a perfect balance between his family life and the professional one. His firm is all hopes with the new cereal product 'Veggie-O' they are planning to launch and rest the onus on Hinton's shoulders. His inspiring histrionics fails to impress the KidWagon and the seemingly amused lit'l ones give it a wholehearted THUMBS-DOWN. Hinton is fired and suddenly his Threesome family looks up at MUMMY Kim to make the ends meet. Ben's creche school fees take Hinton by surprise as he becomes hellbent on finding an alternative livelihood. Kim as the sole wage earner for the family starts off for the day leaving Ben under DAD's custody. Hinton finally chances upon the idea of starting a day care centre for the neighbourhood kids and in comes assistance from fired Co-worker Phil, a fluffy JEFF GARLIN, and we see the duo appeasing a league of Highly Sophisticated KidArmy, who in no time outwit and outsmart the duo. But, their perseverance pays off and soon, they are hiring the bespectacled Marvin (STEVE ZAHN), another fired co-worker with an obsession for STAR-TREK. Voila, DADDY DAY CARE (The Name of the Day care centre) is flagged off with aplomb. But, as Newton had propounded, ''To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction'', how can there be a significant absence of VAMPS ?
Lesson 4 : Chapter 3.0
There are three ways to get something done: do it yourself, employ someone to do it, or forbid your children from doing it.
DADDY DAY CARE is a rage with the entire neighbourhood and every MOM has only address at her disposal, the Hintons'. The living room, the staircase, the kitchen, the garden are all infested with this highly infectious variety of all sizes, colours and sounds. That sounds the warning bell for Ben's erstwhile preschool Chapman Academy run by the sophisticated and stringent Miss Harriden, played by a Bewitching ANJELICA HUSTON, who spares no efforts to groom the kids into Professionals. Such is the strictness on her part, that the kids are trained to write SAT for entry into Harvard, Stanford etc at a tender age of 6-7. She plans to wreak havoc on DADDY DAY CARE along with an unwilling Jenny, her gorgeous assistant played by LACEY CHABERT, who has an inherent wish to take sides with DADDY and the consequences are hilarious. In the meantime, even after getting to know the playful side of the kids, Hinton fails to strike a fatherly rapport with Ben, who slips into a cocoon visibly uninterested with the fanfare and ruckus all around. Does Hinton manage to win Ben's heart ? Does DADDY DAY CARE sustain despite the vitriolic gimmicks let loose by Miss Harriden ? Watch it...
Lesson 5 : Chapter 4.0
Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.
DADDY DAY CARE is all about fun, joy, entertainment and child psychology. Every individual, irrespective of the age has the heart of a kid, buried somewhere deep inside which needs a playful environment to get awakened. This movie intends to explore the possibility of fusing the gender divide when it comes to raising the kids. Kids, as they say are the Most Beautiful Gift of the Almighty,don't ask for anything except for a few loving and caring hours from the parents and of course, the most important sentiment called PATIENCE. One cannot deny the magnitude of sheer peace and purity he gets subjected to in the presence of a/many kid(s). They may leave you gasping for breath, make your drawing room crumble to peaces, adorn the toilet with the most colourful of hues, interpret your warnings as the most urgent of MUST-DOs and what not !! But, ultimately, the delight, the beauty of their cherubic faces, smiles and innocent perceptions can make even the most sturdiest of hearts to melt in a matter of few seconds.
I loved every bit of the movie, although I'd have liked to catch it on the big screen. Eddie Murphy fits into the role of DAD the way a fish takes to water. His mannerisms, candy-floss antics and emotional reconciliations are a plethora of laugh riot all along. None but Mr Nutty Professor could have been the proud owner of such rollicking one liners and comic exuberance that leaves the Kid Wagon crave for more. Jeff Garlin savours every bit of his rumbling DADhood with able support from the Four Eyed innocent Steve Zahn who goes colourful the moment he eyes an single mother. Regina king doesn't have much to speak other than grinning out a few supportive guffaws. Anjelica Huston is sabotage personified with her ostentatious overtones and sly manipulations especially when she's attempting a MISSION ANNIHILATION : DADDY DAY CARE. Lacey Chabert is a charming soul behind the glasses. But, the heart and soul of the movie is undeniably the Kid Band. They manage to glide the entire movie spanning a bit over 90 minutes with their natural acting abilities which revels in hilarious and outrageous consequences. STEVE CARR, the director has made every attempt to give the film a FEEL-GOOD look. The editing & cinematography score well while the music is a mixture of contemporary rock & reggae.
Take a Tutorial on the Daddy TakeNoLogic...
