Eddie Murphy learns lessons about parenthood in `Daddy Day Care'

Jet, May 12, 2003

Eddie Murphy has tackled sassy talking animals and science-induced obesity. Now, the master comedian is taking on the huge and hilarious challenge of day care in Daddy Day Care.

And he learns some valuable lessons about parenthood in the process.

In the movie, Murphy and Jeff Garlin are Charlie and Phil, a pair of advertising executives who are so into their careers that their families are way down on the list.

When the duo fails to excite the public about the concept of vegetable cereal, they find themselves fired with no job prospects. Unemployment means an abrupt end to all that expensive day care for their children at the exclusive Chapman Academy, an institution ruled by the stern hand of Miss Gwyneth Harridan (Anjelica Huston).

While looking for a job, Charlie is left with the task of looking after his 4-year-old son Ben (Khamani Griffin) while his wife Kim (Regina King) works. He comes up with what seems like a brilliant idea: If he and Phil can handle the care of two kids, why not branch out and supervise around 10?

They figure it'll be a piece of cake. But, it turns out to be much, much harder than they'd ever imagined. Eventually they get the hang of it and their bizarre venture manages to take off. They become so successful that they end up bringing in a third caretaker, Marvin (Steve Zahn), an overgrown kid himself who speaks kids' language. The group of men begins teaching the children how to read, play games, interact and have fun at the same time. Charlie and Phil use their newfound skills with kids to bond with their own children and slowly learn to appreciate the real joy that comes with fatherhood.

Their joy is threatened by Harridan and a showdown ensues between the daddies and the "baddest" mother of them all.

Murphy immediately saw the comic potential with the premise of men running a day care center. "Whenever you take some guys who aren't used to nurturing and you see them go through that process of trying to be as good as a mom, humor just comes out of those situations naturally," Murphy recently said.

And there's a very important lesson for men who see their family role primarily as that of provider. "Charlie is so busy trying to provide for his wife and son that he doesn't realize he's neglecting them," Murphy pointed out. "Through Daddy Day Care we slowly see their relationship evolve into something very strong and solid."

He said Daddy Day Care was a movie he really enjoyed working on. "It is fun," he said. "We have a great cast and the kids are really cute and funny. I play a guy who loses his job and doesn't want to lose his house. Regina King plays my wife Kim, a lawyer who is working hard. So, he has to come up with something. The day care is his big idea. He thinks he's only going to do it temporarily. Then he ends up having a great relationship with kids and they begin to bond. It's a beautiful, sweet thing."

Geoff Rodkey, who penned the screenplay, said it pretty much emerged out of necessity. "At the time, I was at home watching my 7-month-old son because my wife had gone back to work full-time," he recalled. "As much as I loved him, I really didn't want to be spending all my waking hours taking care of him. I was talking to Wyck Godfrey (producer), who also had small kids at home. We both decided that the idea of dads caring for kids was the perfect comic premise, and I spent the next year working on it."

Director Steve Carr said most of the film's comedy stems from Murphy's interaction with the 4-year-olds. "The Murphy household must be pretty funny because Eddie was so clever with the kids and so real," Carr said. "His own existence seeped in and all the intimate moments that come from actually being a dad are in this film."

Regina King said the difference between women and men caring for children is that the men usually end up being the kids' buddy. She said fatherly bonding with kids is very appealing to wives. "When you know that your son or daughter is in love with their father, you love him even more," she said. "There's nothing more appealing than a father who's enamored with his children and is not afraid to show it. It just reinforces why you married him."

In the film, she plays a lawyer who hadn't practiced because she'd been a stay-at-home mother. "When Charlie announces that he and Phil are going to open a day care center, Kim thinks it's a ridiculous idea because Phil doesn't even know how to change a diaper. However, she realizes how much her husband needs it, so she stands by her man. I really think audiences will be drawn to this movie because it's a movie that attracts both adults and children. This is a movie that the parents are going to be just as excited to see as the kids."

Producer Godfrey said the chemistry between Murphy and Garlin was also a major factor in the comedy succeeding. "We immediately saw there was a great balance of energy between Jeff and Eddie," he explained. "Eddie's more the enthusiast, the manic one, whereas Jeff is more the realist, the down-to-earth one. Jeff is a warm, lovable, huggable teddy bear. That energy combined with Eddie's is terrific."