Daddy Day Care 2003

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: A scentless bouquet of potty jokes, crotch kicks, and Scooter-P. Read more

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: The humor is strictly potty-level, with its biggest laughs reserved for pee-pee gags and the inevitable gas-passing. Read more

Christine Dolen, Miami Herald: Daddy Day Care is one of those 'trailer' movies: All the good stuff, such as it is, is shown in the previews. But padded to feature length, the movie is mediocre. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: It's one of the worst movies of the year. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: A likable little movie without much to offer but cute tots, recycled gags and a talented cast amiably wasting their time and ours. Read more

Elvis Mitchell, New York Times: The most astonishing thing about Daddy Day Care, a comedy that would have to work harder even to justify the appellation uninspired, is that a kick in the groin is now a joke for toddlers. Read more

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: It's Jackass for the pre-juvie crowd. Read more

Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times: I laughed a couple of times, but mostly I was bored out of my mind and not a little depressed. Read more

Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: Eddie Murphy hasn't made a good movie in so long, I'm starting to think his bad choices are deliberate. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: The adult actors ... crawl without security blankets through a playpen script by Geoff Rodkey (who once stayed home with his son while his wife worked!) and Simon Says direction by Steve Carr. Read more

Jason Anderson, Globe and Mail: Nothing that happens in the story will surprise anyone who's been watching movies for longer than the last two weeks. Read more

Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News: It's saddening to watch the majestic Ms. Huston reduced to playing a robotic comedy target that exists just to be ridiculed. Read more

Jon Strickland, L.A. Weekly: Daddy Day Care feels like a movie cribbed together from outtakes of other hapless Hollywood comedies. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: Those wishing to contribute to the ongoing prosperity of a shamefully wasted natural resource will find a mortified movie badly in need of potty training and a star who has attained the American Dream of doing the least work for the most amount of money. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Murphy is now as sweet and safe as Jell-O pudding. And about as exciting. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Rent Mr. Mom instead, and have a family night in. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: It takes a strong stomach to hold down what Daddy Day Care force-feeds its audience. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: A film so wrong-headed audiences will be more appalled than amused. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: Made with care and intelligence as well as a sense of fun. Read more

C.W. Nevius, San Francisco Chronicle: A harmless and amusing summer comedy. Read more

Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Aimed at viewers young enough still to need day care. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Tepid attempt at comedy. Read more

Time Out: Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Murphy is so oddly bland in Daddy Day Care that it seems like he sleepwalked through the making of the film. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: Audiences ready, willing and able to find their inner four-year-old may have a decent time at 'Daddy Day Care,' but others are likely to find Eddie Murphy's latest foray into kidpicdom scarcely more amusing than spending 90 minutes in a pre-K classroom. Read more

Ed Park, Village Voice: [Murphy's] charming enough in this restrained mode. Read more

Stephen Hunter, Washington Post: If you attend the movie with your expectations lowered by Murphy's recent films, you'll be reasonably amused. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Easy-on-the -sensibilities family film. Read more