Will Ferrell plays his standard issue wide-eyed naif, an amiable simp who can find the good in just about any situation, save one: the sudden reappearance of his wife’s guilt-stricken greaser ex (Mark Wahlberg), eager to reheat a dead romantic soufflé. Two moments stand out in this battle between alpha male and alpha dope over who makes the best father figure for Wahlberg’s children: an expertly executed avalanche gag involving a motorcycle let loose on a house, followed by a particularly nasty throwaway laugh involving a drunken Ferrell and a kid in a wheelchair. Add to this a marked anti-violence message and you’re automatically miles ahead of your average Ferrell vehicle. That’s not to say it’s good, just that it’s tolerable. Linda Cardellini plays a wife who doesn’t do much to come to her present husband’s defense, while Thomas Haden Church garners most of the laughs as Ferrell’s raunchy boss. (2015) — Scott Marks
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