Daddy’s Home 2 is an American Christmas comedy film directed by Sean Anders that stars Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, John Cena, John Lithgow and Mel Gibson. The film takes place about a year after the events of the first film and follows Brad and Dusty as they deal with their intrusive fathers who are visiting during the holidays, as well as Roger, Dusty’s stepdaughter’s biological father. This film is hilarious from start to finish. The director manages to recapture the magic of the first film while making something totally different and fresh. Setting the film during Christmas was a great choice. There’s just something about the holiday that adds a bit of extra cheer to the story. Wahlberg and Ferrell have some of the best chemistry. Seeing them interact with each other and the new characters is fun to watch. You definitely buy their new relationship as friends and believe that they are trying to make the co-parenting situation work for the children. Watching how their relationship begins to crumble due to the pressure of their fathers made sense during the story. Gibson and Lithgow are also great as Kurt and Jonah. They both bring a different element to the film, each funny in its own way. Watching how close Jonah and Brad are is funnier than expected. You would think seeing grown men kiss each other would only be funny once, but they manage to make it funny each time they do it. The way Lithgow portrays Jonah as a sweet, emotionally responsive dad plays well with Gibson’s tough and emotionally challenged Kurt. He wants a relationship with Dusty and vice versa, but neither of the two is willing to admit it. A bit of their relationship is explored in a flashback that in a way ties all the dads together. John Cena is funny in his small role, which I felt should have been a bit bigger. This film hits all aspects of what it can be like for a blended family during the holidays. The truly great thing about this film is that it teaches the viewers many lessons about the struggle of relationships, family, divorce, and co-parenting. Even when everybody is on the same page things can still be hard. Trying to find the right balance to make sure the kids do not get confused can be tough. Also, trying to let someone know how you are truly feeling without hurting them can be difficult to do. The only negative aspect of the film is that some of the jokes did not land and certain comedic situations were drug out a bit too long. There is a scene with Christmas decorations that is a good example of this. Aside from that, the rest of the film was enjoyable. I give Daddy’s Home 2 a Decent 8/10. I would love to see the entire gang return for a third film if it’s on the table.