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:
| 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
