All movies, for me, have underlying themes that always seem tosurface, even when they are not called upon. Daddy Day Care,though starring two comedic goofballs (meant to be put in the mostpositive light), Eddie Murphy and Jeff Garlin, seems to haveunderlying themes which display the importance of the developmentof a child's natural Self, as well as the need to be able tostep up to the plate and handle your business whenever the timecomes for one to do as such. OK, let me go ahead and translatethat into layman's terms. I don't want to lose anyone.

Charlie (Eddie Murphy) and Phil (Jeff Garlin) are marketing execsthat wind up in a position to promote a terrible idea for a children'scereal; this winds up costing them their "employed" status. The twofathers consequently become stay-at-home daddies, and are no longerable to afford the prestigious but disturbed educational facilityto which all the successful parents in the community send theirlittle darlings. The school is headed by the spookiest woman onearth (on a good day), Chapman Academy's own Cruella DeVil,Mrs. Harridan (Angelica Huston).

The marketing execs turned stay-at-home daddies are compelled toopen up a child-care facility to the public to fulfill theirfinancial obligations, as well as to build tighter relationshipswith their own little darlings. No one ever said this venturewould be easy, I mean come on, we're talking about businessmenattempting to mother a bunch of hyperactive four-year-olds: asad situation.

Not sad enough to be unsuccessful, however, because after allthe kicks in the crotches, crushed feet, feces-filled bathrooms(which by the way was just nasty), and hyperactivity, the daddiesrealize that they would rather play significant roles in theirchildren's development than market impractical children's cereals.Besides, Charlie said the cereals were too high in sugar and thatmommies all over the world would just say "no." How sensible.

Director Steve Carr does a good job of accurately depicting thebehaviors of four-year-olds, both at their worst and at theirbest. He and Eddie Murphy obviously do family movies really well,so I say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I'd definitely spend another 92 minutes of my life watching thismovie with my nephews or children that enjoy seeing their peersact up on screen. I would not suggest, however, taking a childunder the age of four; my daughter was all over the theaterlooking for a bell she'd lost. The only time she paid attentionwas when one of the little rascals in the movie kicked someoneor dismantled something; she just thought that was too funny!