Synopsis: Two fathers lose their jobs and decide to go into business for themselves by opening a day care. But first they must contend with the tough-as-nails director of the rival prep school, Chapman Academy. She has driven all the other competition out of business…will Daddy Day Care be next?

Now for the Zone's Eye View:

By Michelle Snow

Director: Steve Carr

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin, Steve Zahn, Regina King, Kevin Nealon, Lacey Chabert, Laura Kightlinger and Anjelica Huston

With his last few films being less than stellar at the box office, Eddie Murphy has returned to the tried and true method of working with kids. And the results are mostly positive.

Daddy Day Care is the name of the pre-school that Charlie [Murphy] and Jeff [Garlin] start when both are laid-off from their jobs. Both are workaholics, so they have very little experience taking care of their own children, much less a group of them. But they learn as they go, making mistakes along the way. Their new business, however, does not sit well with the director of Chapman Academy, Mrs Harridan [Huston]. The children of Daddy Day Care formerly attended C.A. and their defection doesn't sit well with her. She plots and schemes to run Daddy Day Care out of business…by any means necessary.

One of the major detriments to this movie is that some of the plot developments seem lifted from other movies. A lot of the daycare scenes reminded me of the Meatballs films and the scenes with Harridan and her timid assistant Jenny [Chabert] reeked of Police Academy. The movie also took a while to find its rhythm. It was a good half hour into the film before everything seemed to fall in place. 

The film's one saving grace, and in my opinion, responsible for many of the film's funniest moments, is the underrated comedy of Steve Zahn. As Marvin, who wears his inner child on his sleeve, Zahn provides the connecting moments between the fathers and the children in their care. Formerly a mailroom clerk at the food company where Charlie and Jeff worked, Marvin is hired by Daddy Day Care after a surprise inspection by the daycare licensing board. Marvin speaks Klingon, knows Flash's enemies and puts on a mean puppet show, so he's hired on the spot.

Overall, this movie is a warm, light-hearted look at families and child rearing. But the jokes are formulatic and, at times, annoying. I mean really, how many poop jokes can you have in one movie?

Final Grade? Daddy Day Care is a nice family film, but it's not a memorable one. 

6 out of 10