Daddy Day Camp (Blu-ray) (2007)

"...may appeal to auds still young enough not to have seen it all before, or who still find flatulence hilarious...  John Anderson, Variety
"...better than its predecessor...Cuba Gooding Jr. taking over from Eddie Murphy in the role of Charlie Hinton is far more believable...  Pam Grady, Reel.com

Editor's Note Fred Savage makes his feature-film directorial debut in this sequel to DADDY DAY CARE. Charlie Hinton (Cuba Gooding,Jr.) and Phil Ryerson (Paul Rae) decide to parlay the success of their "Daddy Day Care" into day camps in order to save Camp Driftwood. Once the crème de la crème of camps, Driftwood has seen better days, while rival Camp Canola has become a hot property featuring paint ball, dirt bikes, and jet skis. Charlie and Phil buy the camp in order to save it, only to find themselves completely out of their element, which becomes painfully obvious on the first day of camp. With foreclosure impending, Charlie swallows his pride and calls in the ultimate reinforcement: his father, Colonel Buck Hinton (Richard Gant). Of course, Buck and his son have completely different child-rearing styles, leading to some tension as the elder Hinton tries to whip Driftwood's motley campers into shape for the annual Olympiad with Camp Canola. DADDY DAY CAMP serves up lessons about the importance of teamwork, honesty, believing in yourself, and following your dreams. And the campers are not the only ones who learn important lessons; both Charlie and Buck learn to be better fathers and to appreciate each other despite their differences. Gooding and Rae step into the roles originated by Eddie Murphy and Jeff Garlin in the first film. Brian Doyle-Murray appears briefly as Uncle Morty, the camp's owner, and Lochlyn Munro is amusing as Charlie's childhood nemesis, Lance Warner. But the real stars of this film are the campers, who are subjected to endless nature walks, bus crashes, and commando raids by Canola campers. Spencir Bridges, son of actor Todd Bridges, plays Charlie's son, Ben.

	Cuba Gooding, Jr.
	Paul Rae
	Richard Gant
	Tamala Jones
	David N. Weiss, et. al. - Screenplay
	Eric Weiler - Production Designer
	Fred Savage - Director
	Geno Salvatori - Cinematographer
	Geoff Rodkey - Based On Characters Created By
	James Dooley - Original Music By
	Jason Shuman - Producer
	Mark J. Mullins - Art Director
	Matt Berenson - Executive Producer
	Michel Aller - Editor

DVD Talk 6 of 10
Director Fred Savage (yes, that Fred Savage) isn't exactly challenging the material with his easygoing direction, but he's confident enough to inject a little life to the party outside of the bodily functions tangents, which are found in even greater numbers for the sequel. The kids poop, piss, and puke their way around the film, but Savage brings out some satisfying performances from the tykes, offering them scenes beyond mere screaming and horseplay..."Day Camp" plays just fine until it hits the melodramatic third act, where Charlie has to repair his relationship with his military father. The film doesn't need a heartfelt detour, especially any creation that contains a revenge scenario involving a urine-filled water balloon, and it disappoints me that the production didn't have the guts to assemble a more relaxed summer camp farce. Trying to touch the soul in a film this lightweight is humiliating to Savage and the audience..."Daddy Day Camp" is a mild diversion for kids, perhaps better suited to a Saturday morning DVD viewing than shelling out big bucks to see it on the big screen. It's a microscopic improvement over Murphy's installment, but that's hardly a compliment. - Brian Orndorf