Daddy Day Care

This amusing, if not terribly creative, family comedy stars Eddie Murphy as a workaholic ad exec sacked from his job and saddled with taking care of his four-year-old son (cute, uncommonly sad-eyed wisecracker Khamani Griffin) while his wife (Regina King) becomes the breadwinner. When he turns his home into a daycare center and enlists a couple laid-off buddies (pratfall heavyweight Jeff Garlin and sci-fi geek Steve Zahn) to help, kiddie craziness gets the best of them, providing enough laughs for an entertaining Saturday afternoon watch. Of course, being Fictitious Movie Males, the lads are largely inept at childrearing and thus are soon in way, way over their heads, but writer Geoff Rodkey and director Steve Carr (who shot Murphy's Dr. Dolittle 2) manage to comically freshen up what is essentially 1983's Mr. Mom, multiplied by a dozen extra kids. Where Daddy Day Care falters is in a few awkwardly mechanical, our-script's-too-short contrivances--most notably the subplot involving the conniving, snooty headmistress (Anjelica Huston) of an upscale rival daycare "academy" trying to sabotage our heroes because she's losing students to them. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include four featurettes--“Good Morning Eddie Murphy” (3 min.), “Meet the Kids of Daddy Day Care” (6 min.), “Quiet on the Set” behind-the-scenes featurette (6 min.), and “What Did That Kid Say?” (3 min.)--and a “Name That Noisemaker” guessing game, “Kid Card Match Up” puzzles, an “Odd One Out” matching game, the animated short “Early Bloomer” (3 min.), a two-minute blooper reel, and trailers. Bottom line: a kid-friendly extras package for a less-than-sterling Eddie Murphy vehicle.] (R. Blackwelder)