Daddy Day Camp

How bad does a sequel to an Eddie Murphy movie have to be before Murphy himself passes on it? If this follow-up to 2003's Daddy Day Care is any indication, the answer is: very. Cuba Gooding Jr. takes over Murphy's role as Charlie, who made an unlikely success with a daycare business in the first film after he and a buddy lost their jobs. In this second installment, the pair enroll their boys in their old summer camp, only to discover that the place is not only a wreck, but also overshadowed by a nearby ritzy rival. On a whim, the duo decide to restore the place to its former glory, thereby starting a feud with the other camp's smarmy owner, who just happened to humiliate Charlie during the inter-camp “Olympics” years before. The resulting shenanigans lead to closer bonds between Charlie and his young son, as well as Charlie and his father, a retired Marine who joins the camp crew. Former child-star-turned-director Fred Savage's Daddy Day Camp plays like one of those direct-to-DVD sequels of kiddie movies in which the original cast have mysteriously gone AWOL. With its desperately rambunctious slapstick and grotesque mugging, it's the sort of film that might keep a bunch of rowdy eight-year-olds halfway amused, but should be studiously avoided by everyone else. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include the 12-minute “making-of” featurette “How I Spent My Summer,” a “What I Learned at Camp” interactive quiz, and trailers. Bottom line: a paltry extras package for an anemic comedy.] (F. Swietek)