Daddy Day Care (film series) explained

Daddy Day Care
Studio:Revolution Studios
Distributor:Sony Pictures (1, 2)
Universal Studios Home Entertainment (3)
Released:2003–2019
Country:United States
Language:English
Budget:≥$66,000,000 (2 films)
Gross:$186,277,591 (3 films)

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.

The first film, though a financial success at the box-office, received generally negative reviews from critics. Variety called it "scarcely more amusing than spending ninety minutes in a pre K classroom".[2] Part two proved to be a moderate success financially, though it was panned by film critics with critiques pointed at the overuse of potty humor.[3] 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, though it fared well with rentals and sales.

Films

FilmU.S. release dateDirectorScreenwriter(s)Story byProducers
Daddy Day CareSteve CarrGeoff RodkeyJohn Davis, Wyck Godfrey and Matt Berenson
Daddy Day CampFred SavageGeoff Rodkey
and J. David Stem & David N. Weiss
Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow
and Geoff Rodkey
William Sherak and Jason Shuman
Grand-Daddy Day CareRon OliverRobbie Fox & David H. SteinbergRobbie FoxMike Elliott, Joseph P. Genier, and Greg Holstein

Daddy Day Care (2003)

See main article: article and Daddy Day Care. 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.[4]

Daddy Day Camp (2007)

See main article: Daddy Day Camp. 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.[5]

Grand-Daddy Day Care (2019)

See main article: Grand-Daddy Day Care. 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

CharacterFilms
Daddy Day CareDaddy Day CampGrand-Daddy Day Care
Charles "Charlie" HintonEddie MurphyCuba Gooding Jr.Da'Vone McDonald
Phillip "Phil" RyersonJeff GarlinPaul Rae 
Kimberly "Kim" HintonRegina KingTamala Jones 
Benjamin "Ben" HintonKhamani GriffinSpencir Bridges 
Col. Buck Hinton Richard Gant 
Maxwell "Max" RyersonMax BurkholderDallin Boyce 
BeccaHailey Noelle JohnsonMolly Jepson 
Jennifer "Jenny"Lacey Chabert 
Tony "the Flash"Jimmy Bennett 
Maxwell "Max" RyersonMax Burkholder 
CrispinShane Baumel 
JamieElle Fanning 
DylanFelix Archille 
NickyArthur 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
Ms. Gwyneth HarridanAnjelica Huston 
MarvinSteve Zahn 
BruceKevin 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 
Jack Quartermaine 

Additional crew and production details

FilmCrew/Detail
ComposerCinematographerEditor(s)Production
companies
Distributing
company
Running time
Daddy Day CareDavid NewmanSteven PosterChristopher GreenburyColumbia Pictures,
Revolution Studios,
Davis Entertainment
Sony Pictures Releasing1hr 32mins
Daddy Day CampJim DooleyGeno SalvatoriMichel AllerTriStar Pictures,
Revolution Studios,
Davis Entertainment,
Blue Star Entertainment
1hr 40mins
Grand-Daddy Day CareNora Kroll-RosenbaumGraham RobbinsHeath RyanUniversal 1440 Entertainment,
Revolution Studios,
Pace Pictures
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment1hr 36mins

Reception

Box office and financial performance

FilmBox office grossBox office rankingVideo
sales gross
Worldwide
gross income
BudgetTotal worldwide
net income
North AmericaOther territoriesWorldwideAll time
North America
All time
worldwide
North America
Daddy Day Care$104,297,061$60,136,806$164,433,867
  1. 690
  1. 1,519
$164,433,867$60,000,000$104,433,867[7] [8]
Daddy Day Camp$13,235,267$4,974,605$18,209,872
  1. 4,534
  1. 5,687
$3,585,486$21,795,358$6,000,000$15,795,358[9] [10]
Grand-Daddy Day Care$48,366$48,366>$48,366[11]
Totals$117,532,328$65,111,411$182,643,739x̅ #1,741.33x̅ #2,402$3,633,852$186,277,591≥$66,000,000$121,277,591

Critical and public response

FilmCriticalPublic
Rotten TomatoesMetacriticCinemaScore[12]
Daddy Day Care27% (131 reviews)[13] 39/100 (31 reviews)[14] A-
Daddy Day Camp1% (80 reviews)[15] 13/100 (19 reviews)[16] B
Grand-Daddy Day Care(2 reviews)[17]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 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. September 21, 2020.
  2. Web site: 4 May 2003 . McCarthy . Todd . Daddy Day Care . Variety.
  3. Web site: Daddy Day Camp (2007) . . . June 23, 2019 .
  4. Web site: Daddy Day Care. Variety. McCarthy, Todd. May 4, 2003. September 21, 2020.
  5. Web site: Daddy Day Camp. Variety. Anderson, John. August 3, 2007. September 21, 2020.
  6. Web site: Grand-Daddy Day Care. Common Sense Media. Schonfeld, Renee. 2019. September 21, 2020.
  7. Web site: Daddy Day Care. Box Office Mojo.
  8. Web site: Daddy Day Care (2003) - Financial Information. The Numbers.
  9. Web site: Daddy Day Camp . Box Office Mojo.
  10. Web site: Daddy Day Camp (2007) - Financial Information . The Numbers.
  11. Web site: Grand-Daddy Day Care (2019) - Financial Information . The Numbers.
  12. Web site: CinemaScore . . April 15, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220413083139/https://www.cinemascore.com/ . April 13, 2022 . live.
  13. Web site: Daddy Day Care (2003) . Rotten Tomatoes.
  14. Web site: Daddy Day Care . Metacritic.
  15. Web site: Daddy Day Camp (2007) . Rotten Tomatoes.
  16. Web site: Daddy Day Camp . Metacritic.
  17. Web site: Grand-Daddy Day Care (2019) . Rotten Tomatoes.