Parents' Guide to Daddy Day Camp

Movie PG 2007 89 minutes
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Common Sense Media Review

Sandie Angulo Chen By Sandie Angulo Chen , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 8+

Forgettable camp comedy sequel has lots of potty humor.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 8+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 7+

Based on 4 parent reviews

age 7+

Based on 12 kid reviews

What's the Story?

In this sequel to Daddy Day Care, Cuba Gooding Jr. plays Charlie Hinton -- who, with Phil Ryerson (Paul Rae, cast in the Jeff Garlin role), runs the successful daycare biz established in the original. But the action quickly shifts to an even less original plot about the dads trying to reconnect with their sons by buying the rundown summer camp they attended as kids. Amid the movie's many fart and vomit jokes arises a primal need for the Bad News campers and their clueless counselors -- who just barely made the camp usable -- to compete with the neighboring camp, which is run by Lance Warner (Lochlyn Munro), a Hummer-driving jerk of a jock. Desperate, Charlie turns to his father, a Marine Corps. colonel (Richard Gant) to swoop in and rally the wary troops.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 4 ):
Kids say ( 12 ):

Kids who still giggle at poop gags or the sight of adults acting silly will delight in the outdoor mayhem, but parents will find the over-the-top performances and too-familiar story disappointing. As for Gooding, one can only hope that the actor who wowed audiences and critics with his performances in Boyz N the Hood and Jerry Maguire can find his way again. This is an awful movie that's not worth watching.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about good sportsmanship. The neighboring campers were really competitive, but they also cheated. Is winning the same if you cheat?

  • Why do you think Hollywood often makes sequels of successful movies, and why are sequels usually much worse than the original?

  • What were some of the ways in which the campers set bad examples? How did their behavior clash with the positive messages of the movie?

Movie Details

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