Daddy Day Care (film series)

The Daddy Day Care film series consists of American family-comedy films.[1] Based on original characters by Geoff Rodkey, the plot centers around unemployed dads who start a day care services to help bring in more funds for their respective families. Comedic circumstances follow, as the men are overwhelmed by the rambunctious and mischievous actions of the children.

Daddy Day Care
Official film series logo, released in 2003
Based onDaddy Day Care
by Geoff Rodkey
Production
company
Distributed bySony Pictures (1, 2)
Universal Studios Home Entertainment (3)
Release date
2003–2019
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget≥$66,000,000 (2 films)
Box office$186,277,591 (3 films)

The first film, though a financial success at the box-office,[2] received generally negative reviews from critics. Variety called it "scarcely more amusing than spending ninety minutes in a pre K classroom".[3] Part two proved to be a moderate success financially,[4] though it was panned by film critics with critiques pointed at the overuse of potty humor.[5] The final film in the trilogy, which debuted over a decade after its predecessor, was made with a small-budget and was released straight-to-home video. The film was met with negative reviews,[6] though it fared well with rentals and sales.[7]

Films edit

Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter(s) Story by Producers
Daddy Day Care May 9, 2003 (2003-05-09) Steve Carr Geoff Rodkey John Davis, Wyck Godfrey and Matt Berenson
Daddy Day Camp August 8, 2007 (2007-08-08) Fred Savage Geoff Rodkey
and J. David Stem & David N. Weiss
Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow
and Geoff Rodkey
William Sherak and Jason Shuman
Grand-Daddy Day Care February 5, 2019 (2019-02-05) Ron Oliver Robbie Fox & David H. Steinberg Robbie Fox Mike Elliott, Joseph P. Genier, and Greg Holstein

Daddy Day Care (2003) edit

Charles "Charlie" Hinton is unemployed and a stay-at-home father, taking care of his young son, while his wife makes a living and pays for the bills. Charlie works with his friend named Phillip "Phil" Ryerson, who is also without a job, to establish Daddy Day Care. The pair quickly gain a popular reputation, causing an enrollment swell. With additional regulations, they struggle to keep business alive. When a competing day care owner named Ms. Gwyneth Harridan calls the attention social workers in attempt to put Daddy Day Care out of business, social services notifies the business that their operating home is not large enough for their number of clients, causing Charlie and Phil to hold a fundraiser to raise funding.

Events that follow lead Charlie to quit the company, and focus on his family instead. As parents flock to Ms. Harridan's Day Care, Charlie and Phil realize their role in children's lives. At a student orientation, the pair reveal her careless ways and expose her distaste for her work. Expressing their love for the children that they have cared for, adults sign on for business with Daddy Day Care, earning the company enough money for the new office.[8]

Daddy Day Camp (2007) edit

Charlie Hinton and Phil Ryerson, close friends who formed a successful day care center partnership, purchase a camp site from their past. After being instigated by their wives to do so, Camp Driftwood becomes a business venture between the pair. An offshoot of their Daddy Day Care business, Charlie and Phil face insurmountable odds when renovating the site, while also competing with a nearby rival location. Camp Canola, ran by Charlie's rival named Lance, is a luxurious, successful, and thriving campsite, while Camp Driftwood requires a lot of work to restore the grounds to its former glory.

After various attempts, the duo find that they may face a bankruptcy process. Along with the plans for the upcoming Olympiad challenge event between the rival camps, Charlie and Phil become overwhelmed. Charlie approaches his estranged father, for help in returning the camp to its prestigious past reputation. Buck Hinton, a military veteran, seeks to help the pair, but is critical of his son and Phil. After various differences he leaves the camp, only a difficult reconciliation between father and son, so that Charlie won't disappoint the children and bring Buck back to the campgrounds. With the help of Buck, Camp Driftwood reveals that the competing team was cheating all along, and that they have for years. Camp Canola's trophies are destroyed, while every parent from that camp request to sign up for Camp Driftwood. Saving the pair from a foreclosure, the partnership looks forward to coming seasons with the sign-ons.[9]

Grand-Daddy Day Care (2019) edit

Frank Collins is a best-selling author, who suffers from writer's block. While attempting to crack the story for his next novel he and his wife, Emma, struggle to pay their bills and make ends meet. Her hard-headed/former-convict and retired lawyer father, Eduardo, comes to stay with them. Finding it more difficult to entertain his father-in-law and attempt to write his next novel, Frank decides to invite over Eduardo's friends to keep him preoccupied. Their home filled with elderly seniors, falls into mischief. The Collins couple realize that they could be making money by hosting and monitoring these elderly individuals. Upon learning of the business being run from the house, a persistent social worker named Ned Tooley becomes determined to shut them down.

Eduardo uses his former law skills, to plan a course of action for Frank and Emma to stay in business. Together they purchase the established, but on hiatus, Daddy Day Care from Charles "Charlie" Hinton. Charles recounts his attempts at success with the business, cautioning them in the unfortunate life-events that may follow. After purchasing the company, they attempt to register and rebrand the establishment as "Granddaddy Day Care". Upon doing so, they learn that there is a waiting period. After being fined by the city, due to the social worker's analysis, the Collins couple struggle to earn enough money to pay their debtors and the fines. Eduardo, who has shown the early stages of dementia, decides to help them sue the city. In court they present their case that they were not issued any warnings, nor Mr. Tooley's observations of the things they must change to meet city code. The judge adjourns in favor of Granddaddy Day Care, and the company continues to grow and flourish. Frank, Emma, their son, and Eduardo grow closer as a family over and realize how blessed their lives are. Frank meanwhile, has a new idea for a book. After writing and publishing the story, based on his new elderly friends, the tome once again becomes a best-seller.[6]

Main cast and characters edit

Character Films
Daddy Day Care Daddy Day Camp Grand-Daddy Day Care
Principal cast
Charles "Charlie" Hinton Eddie Murphy Cuba Gooding Jr. Da'Vone McDonald
Phillip "Phil" Ryerson Jeff Garlin Paul Rae  
Kimberly "Kim" Hinton Regina King Tamala Jones  
Benjamin "Ben" Hinton Khamani Griffin Spencir Bridges  
Col. Buck Hinton   Richard Gant  
Maxwell "Max" Ryerson Max Burkholder Dallin Boyce  
Becca Hailey Noelle Johnson Molly Jepson  
Jennifer "Jenny" Lacey Chabert  
Tony "the Flash" Jimmy Bennett  
Maxwell "Max" Ryerson Max Burkholder  
Crispin Shane Baumel  
Jamie Elle Fanning  
Dylan Felix Archille  
Nicky Arthur Young  
Juliette   Telise Galanis  
Robert   Tad D'Agostino  
Jack Mayhoffer   Talon Ackerman  
Billy   Tyger Rawlings  
Carl Warner   Taggart Hurtubise  
Mullet Head   Zachary Allen  
Eduardo "Eddie" Hernandez   Danny Trejo
Frank Collins   Reno Wilson
Emma Hernandez-Collins   Roxana Ortega
Jordan Collins   Anthony Gonzales
Gabe   Hal Linden
Blanche   Linda Gray
"Big" Lou   George Wendt
Bonnie   Julia Duffy
Millie   Margaret Avery
"Dynamite" Dan North   Barry Bostwick
Arnold   Garrett Morris
Walter   James Hong
Annie   Jayden Bartels
Supporting cast
Ms. Gwyneth Harridan Anjelica Huston  
Marvin Steve Zahn  
Bruce Kevin Nealon  
Dale   Josh McLerran  
Uncle Morty   Brian Doyle-Murray  
Lance Warner   Lochlyn Munro  
Robert "Bobby J" Jefferson Warner   Sean Patrick Flaherty  
Ned Tooley   Alec Mapa
Judge Littles   Clint Howard
Jack Quartermaine   Ed Quinn

Additional crew and production details edit

Film Crew/Detail
Composer Cinematographer Editor(s) Production
companies
Distributing
company
Running time
Daddy Day Care David Newman Steven Poster Christopher Greenbury Columbia Pictures,
Revolution Studios,
Davis Entertainment
Sony Pictures Releasing 1hr 32mins
Daddy Day Camp Jim Dooley Geno Salvatori Michel Aller TriStar Pictures,
Revolution Studios,
Davis Entertainment,
Blue Star Entertainment
1hr 40mins
Grand-Daddy Day Care Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum Graham Robbins Heath Ryan Universal 1440 Entertainment,
Revolution Studios,
Pace Pictures
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment 1hr 36mins

Reception edit

Box office and financial performance edit

Film Box office gross Box office ranking Video
sales gross
Worldwide
gross income
Budget Total worldwide
net income
Ref.
North America Other territories Worldwide All time
North America
All time
worldwide
North America
Daddy Day Care $104,297,061 $60,136,806 $164,433,867 #690 #1,519 figure not available $164,433,867 $60,000,000 $104,433,867 [2][10]
Daddy Day Camp $13,235,267 $4,974,605 $18,209,872 #4,534 #5,687 $3,585,486 $21,795,358 $6,000,000[11] $15,795,358 [4][11]
Grand-Daddy Day Care $48,366 $48,366 figure not available >$48,366 [7]
Totals $117,532,328 $65,111,111 $182,643,439 x̅ #1,741.33 x̅ #2,402 $3,633,852 $186,277,591 ≥$66,000,000 $121,277,591

Critical and public response edit

Film Critical Public
Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore[12]
Daddy Day Care 27% (131 reviews)[13] 39/100 (31 reviews)[14] A-
Daddy Day Camp 1% (80 reviews)[15] 13/100 (19 reviews)[16] B
Grand-Daddy Day Care —(2 reviews)[17]

References edit

  1. ^ "From Universal 1440 Entertainment: Grand-Daddy Day Care - CAMERAS ROLL ON THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF THE "DADDY DAY CARE"". Cision: PR Newswire. June 28, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Daddy Day Care". Box Office Mojo.
  3. ^ McCarthy, Todd (4 May 2003). "Daddy Day Care". Variety.
  4. ^ a b "Daddy Day Camp". Box Office Mojo.
  5. ^ "Daddy Day Camp (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Schonfeld, Renee (2019). "Grand-Daddy Day Care". Common Sense Media. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Grand-Daddy Day Care (2019) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
  8. ^ McCarthy, Todd (May 4, 2003). "Daddy Day Care". Variety. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  9. ^ Anderson, John (August 3, 2007). "Daddy Day Camp". Variety. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  10. ^ "Daddy Day Care (2003) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
  11. ^ a b "Daddy Day Camp (2007) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
  12. ^ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  13. ^ "Daddy Day Care (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  14. ^ "Daddy Day Care". Metacritic.
  15. ^ "Daddy Day Camp (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  16. ^ "Daddy Day Camp". Metacritic.
  17. ^ "Grand-Daddy Day Care (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes.