Daddy's Home is a 2015 American buddy comedy film directed by Sean Anders and written by Anders, Brian Burns, and John Morris. The film is about a mild-mannered stepfather (Will Ferrell) who vies for the attention of his wife's (Linda Cardellini) children when their biological father (Mark Wahlberg) returns.
The second collaboration between Ferrell and Wahlberg following the 2010 film The Other Guys, principal photography began on November 17, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The film was released on December 25, 2015, by Paramount Pictures and grossed $242 million worldwide, becoming Ferrell's highest-grossing live-action film. It received praise for the performances and chemistry between Ferrell and Wahlberg but criticism for its lack of funny ideas and not fully exploring the premise. A sequel, Daddy's Home 2, was released on November 10, 2017.
Plot
Mild-mannered radio executive Brad Whitaker tries hard to be a good stepfather to his wife Sara's two children, Megan and Dylan, and is seemingly sterile after an accident to his testicles three years ago. The kids are finally getting closer to him: Dylan confides in him about some older bullies at school and Megan asks him to take her to the father/daughter dance at her school.
One night, however, Dusty Mayron, Sara's ex-husband and the kids' biological father, calls discovering Sara's married to Brad, and announces he will be visiting the next day. She hesitates to let him into their home, but Brad convinces her it is important for the kids to see their father and stepfather establish a respectful relationship.
When Dusty arrives, he immediately intimidates Brad by his tough and muscular appearance and his charm with Megan and Dylan. He talks Brad into letting him stay, despite Sara warning about his true nature. Brad soon wises up when it becomes clear he intends to drive Brad out of his kids' lives and reconcile with Sara. After Dusty shows him up repeatedly - getting the kids a dog and finishing a treehouse Brad had been building with Dylan, he makes Brad seem racist after unwillingly firing handyman Griff after a fiasco with Dusty's motorcycle.
Dusty tries to drive a wedge between Brad and Sara by taking them to a fertility doctor, hoping that Brad's inability to impregnate her will send her back into Dusty's arms. Still, the two men appear to reach an understanding after working together to teach Dylan how to defend himself from the bullies. Additionally, the couple is overjoyed to learn that Brad's sperm count has increased significantly, giving them hope of having a child together.
However, Brad is stunned when Dusty reveals that he still intends to drive him out of the family. Desperate, Brad spends tens of thousands of dollars on gifts, including a pony for Megan, and $18,000 tickets to an NBA match for Dylan. At the game, Dusty once again shows him up by revealing himself to be friends with the coach of Dylan's favorite team, the Los Angeles Lakers. Brad is even more enraged when he learns that Megan has changed her mind, and has chosen Dusty to take her to the daddy/daughter dance instead of him. Sara is upset with Brad for his behavior, and the rest of the family sits without him.
During half-time, Brad is chosen to try to shoot a basketball to win a prize. Drunk, he goes on a rant about Dusty before accidentally hitting a cheerleader, and a disabled child in a wheelchair in the face with a basketball. Humiliated, Brad moves out of the house; however, when Dusty tries to comfort Sara, she rejects him, and forces him to step up as a father to help his children with their busy schedules.
Four days later, Brad is living in his office at work, depressed. Dusty, meanwhile, is overwhelmed by the responsibilities of being a full-time father. When Dusty decides to call it quits and leave on the day of Megan's dance, Griff convinces Brad to fight for his family. Finding Dusty at a bar, he tries to get him to come back. Dusty admits that he cannot handle the hard parts about being a father, and admires Brad for putting up with everything. Brad says that all of the terrible parts about being a dad are worth it, because in the end, he is doing it for his kids. This convinces Dusty to go to the dance, and they arrive together.
There, they discover that the students who were picking on Dylan at school are girls. They almost fight the father of one of the girls when Dylan physically retaliates, doing what Brad and Dusty taught him to do, under the impression that the bullies were boys. However, Dusty finally decides to follow Brad's lead on being a father, and instead quells the fight by starting a dance-off. Brad and Sara reconcile, and Dusty decides to stay and be a good "co-dad" to his kids.