Daddy Day Camp parents guide

Daddy Day Camp Parent Guide

Overall C+

After running the successful Daddy Day Care, Charlie Hinton (Cuba Gooding Jr.) decides to expand his company's services by offering Daddy Day Camp. With no knowledge of the great outdoors, but with a desire to build great memories with his son (Spencir Bridges), his wilderness get-away plan promises a summer the kids will never forget -- for all the wrong reasons.

Release date August 7, 2007

Violence B-
Sexual Content A
Profanity B
Substance Use A

Why is Daddy Day Camp rated PG? The MPAA rated Daddy Day Camp PG for mild bodily humor and language.

Run Time: 89 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Like Daddy Day Care, this film has a musical score with plenty of upbeat tunes, as well as some unmanageable children. But that is about as far as the similarities go.

Even the main characters—-originally played by Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin and Steven Zahn—-have been replaced. Cuba Gooding Jr. takes over the role of Charlie Hinton, an unemployed advertising agent who opened a daycare and now has plans to run a Day Camp during the summer. Paul Rae takes on the role of Phil, Charlie’s chubby, right hand man. And Josh McLerran plays a much smaller role as the goofy sidekick.

Charlie’s childhood experiences at camp were anything but happy ones. So when his wife Kim (Tamala Jones) suggests they send their son Ben (Spencir Bridges) off to a summer getaway, Charlie is more than hesitant. Along with Phil and his son, Max (Dallin Boyce), he decides to check out the old Camp Driftwood, only to find it has fallen into shambles and is in need of some cash flow. Hoping to offer a new generation of youngsters a more positive outdoors experience, Charlie and Phil take on the challenge of restoring the facility. But when the two men find themselves swimming in a pile of unpaid bills and strapped with an undisciplined group of campers, Charlie has to admit defeat and call in the cavalry.

Although Charlie and his father, Col. Buck Hinton (Richard Grant) haven’t seen eye to eye for many years, the retired Marine knows a thing or two about restoring order and he has plenty of backwoods knowledge as well. Enlisted as the new activities director, Buck not only teaches the children about hiking and fire building, he also sparks a team spirit among the rowdy kids.

While these elementary-aged children are initially as unruly as their preschool counterparts were in the prequel, their current behavior seems even less appealing. Potty jokes, name-calling and the intentional injury of others are all part of their first day at camp. Unfortunately, it’s not much different among the adults. Flatulence, overprotective parenting and groin injuries are all played for laughs. When the competing camp’s director, Lance Warner (Lochlyn Munro) pays Driftwood a visit, there’s more immature conduct in the form of threats, taunting and physical attacks.

Brimming over with stereotypes and targeting the evils of being rich, Daddy Day Camp is plagued by extreme characters and situations. And with hardly any positive adult role models in sight, it’s no wonder these campers are completely out of control. So unless you’re aching for a wilderness experience complete with sewage, barfing children, bathroom humor and wedgies, this might be one day trip you’ll want to avoid.

Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Paul Rae. Running time: 89 minutes. Theatrical release August 7, 2007. Updated

Daddy Day Camp
Rating & Content Info

Why is Daddy Day Camp rated PG? Daddy Day Camp is rated PG by the MPAA for mild bodily humor and language.

Although Charlie and Phil seemed to have things under control by the end of Daddy Day Care, their new preschoolers are running amok, urinating on houseplants, destroying cakes and generally misbehaving. Still the two men think they are also capable of running a day camp for older children—campers who prove to be equally rowdy. Tying up their counselor, breaking into the snack shack, shooting arrows at an adult and having a food fight are just the first of their activities. They are also into name-calling, groin injuries, toilet jokes and throwing urine-filled balloons. Unfortunately the adults don’t behave much better. Cheating, demeaning comments and humiliation are all part of their interactions with others. A methane explosion in the outhouse leaves one man standing in his underwear and a bus crash is played for laughs. The script also contains scatological slang, vulgar expressions and brief profanities.

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Daddy Day Camp Parents' Guide

How does Charlie’s parenting style differ from his father’s approach? What do the men learn from each other? How does Charlie’s opinion of his father change?

Can you make a list of all the stereotypes portrayed in this film? What does the film want us to believe about the overweight characters? What about the little boy with glasses? How are rich people depicted in this film?

How does Charlie’s childhood memories of camp influence his feelings about his son going to camp?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Daddy Day Camp movie is January 29, 2008. Here are some details…

Pack the crew off to Daddy Day Camp with this DVD release, and you will take along a making-of featurette (How I Spent My Summer Vacation) and an interactive quiz (What I Learned At Camp). Audio tracks are available in Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French and Spanish), with subtitles in English.

Related home video titles:

Eddie Murphy and Jeff Garlin play unemployed fathers who open a babysitting service in the original Daddy Day Care. Two identical girls meet at summer camp and discover they are twins in the 1961 film, The Parent Trap. A young Lindsay Lohan stars in the film’s 1998 remake.