Daddy Day Care and Mr. Mom (review)
Trading Places
So you think you saw Daddy Day Care 20 years ago, when it was called Mr. Mom? How wrong you are, my friend -- how wrong you are. Just refer to this handy chart to discover all the differences between these two films:
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| Mr. Mom | Daddy Day Care | |
| charming Dad? | Michael Keaton | Eddie Murphy |
| location? | gray, grim Detroit | gloriously sunny Southern California |
| house under 20,000 square feet? | yes | no |
| house looks like something out of a magazine? | no | yes |
| ugly decor and realistic mess, like every normal person's home? | yes | no |
| concessions to bad economy before Dad gets laid off? | carpooling to split gas money | none |
| what can't they afford after Dad gets laid off? | take-out chicken | payments on the Mercedes |
| men perceived as inherently nurturing and capable of changing a diaper or making a sandwich? | yes | hahahaha, you're kidding, right? |
| Dad able to successfully juggle kids, grocery shopping, housework? | yes | kids only, and only in state-mandated ratio of 1 adult per 5 kids |
| typical household disaster under male tutelage? | overloaded washing machine | child's feces accidentally end up on bathroom ceiling |
| slights to masculinity as a result of assumption of traditionally female duties? | none | many |
| wiseass children? | no | yes |
| adorable, precocious moppets deliberately allowed to steal scenes? | no | yes |
| antisocial, semipsychotic toddlers treated as amusing? | no | yes |
| children reprimanded for improper behavior? | yes | no |
| Mom has interesting and rewarding life beyond the home? | yes | perhaps, but we never see it |
| advertising as metaphor for unrealistic expectations of modern parenthood? | yes | yes |
| joys and frustrations of modern parenthood not sufficient for drama and comedy so film must resort to absurd villainess for conflict? | no | yes |
| dorky comedic stylings of Steve Zahn? | no | yes |
| "History of White People in America" comedic stylings of Martin Mull? | yes | no |
| chainsaws wielded? | one | none |
| people in vegetable costumes terrorized? | no | yes |
| Star Trek as metaphor for immaturity? | no | yes |
| wacky "let's repaint the car like the Partridge Family's bus as a symbol of Dad's acceptance of his new role" scene? | no | yes |
| wacky "let's see the kids tell Dad the vacuum cleaner's nickname as a symbol of his acceptance of his new role" moment? | yes | no |
| wit? | yes | no |
Daddy Day Care
viewed at a semipublic screening with an audience of critics and ordinary moviegoers
rated PG for language
official site | IMDB
Mr. Mom
viewed at home on a small screen
rated PG
IMDB
