Which brings us to 2015’s Daddy’s Home, which paired Ferrell with reliable scene partner Mark Wahlberg to create a disappointing family comedy that left very little impression after it was done. But it made enough money at the time to warrant a sequel in the studio’s eyes, so here we are. From here there’s little in the way of plot. While Lithgow’s character finds it easy to connect with his son and grandchildren, Gibson’s Kurt showers them with increasingly extravagant gifts in order to win them over. Before long, the stress of having their parents around leads to a reopening of old wounds. The film plods along with a couple of chuckles but more missed opportunities, and benefits from its excellent cast. For some reason the two leads’ chemistry just works, and this sequel benefits from them not being the sole focus this time around. In general, the film’s tone is its most puzzling aspect as, though it’s being marketed as a family comedy, most of the laughs are designed to appeal to the middle-aged dads in the audience. There’s a fair amount of bad language, and even the slapstick ‘delights’ of seeing Will Ferrell’s Brad being hit in the face with things has been ever-so-slightly scaled back (which isn’t saying much). Perhaps those behind the scenes simply wanted to create a new Elf – Christmas films are especially lucrative, after all – but this isn’t even as pleasingly bad as something like Jingle All the Way. For the most part it just kind of… exists. This is a short film at 98-minutes, but feels much longer. That said, just when you’re ready to escape to mulled wine and mince pies, Daddy’s Home delivers an ending that’s just insane enough to win you over with festive spirit. It’s not even slightly original or creative, but a delightful appearance from John Cena, an surprisingly well-earned payoff and commitment to the seasonal setting ties a nice bow on proceedings. Daddy’s Home 2 is extremely stupid and equally forgettable, but it’s also pleasingly festive fluff with a collection of performers that could make the worst trash watchable.