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A warmly lit paper cabin stands above a snowy drive with a light-tangled snow blower, porch sledges and a half-buried manger display, with open snow to the left.

Essential Christmas · 2017

Daddy's Home 2

64/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 64 ↓
UK certificate 12A100 min
Comedy · Family

A louder, broader sequel that swaps the first film's rivalry for a crowded family Christmas, and this time…

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Plan this film night ↓Can the kids watch? ↓
Explore this film 10 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

Christmas all the way through.

Paper elves examine a snowed-in cabin miniature with porch sledges, a red snow blower wrapped in lights and a manger display partly buried in snow.

A little magic in the making.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storyChristmas drives it, but another occasion could stand in.20/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for most of it.15/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details5 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.8/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: substantially.15/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionA December regular (25,000+).6/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

77/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Mostly warm in tone. Mild threat. A happy ending.

How we score →
What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →
Your next film night

Where to watch

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Streaming changes constantly and we cannot promise it is still right - check the service before you settle in. Streaming availability information provided by Streaming Availability API by Movie of the Night (opens in a new tab). Sky and Rakuten TV data by JustWatch.

The story

About Daddy's Home 2

Two dads who once competed for the same children have settled into a friendly co-parenting routine and plan a shared family Christmas. Their own fathers then invite themselves along, one a hard-bitten ladies' man and the other a gushing softie, and a snowbound holiday rental becomes the setting for a string of slapstick disasters, old grudges and a last-minute rescue of Christmas spirit.

The CineClaus verdict

A louder, broader sequel that swaps the first film's rivalry for a crowded family Christmas, and this time the season properly earns its place. The set pieces hang on a snowed-in holiday rental and a live nativity, and the finale leans on a British charity single. Lithgow is the best thing in it, a soggy, lovable softie, while Gibson's cold grandad sits oddly in a family comedy.

The jokes are recycled and the slapstick is broad. It still ends with everyone reconciled and singing, which suits a mixed family crowd happy with big pratfalls and some innuendo.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

12A

No family note from us yet. The 12A certificate is the guide for now.

Content advice & accessibility
Our age guidance
Editorial, separate from the official 12A certificate, and never looser than it.

The series

The Daddy's Home films

2 films, in release order

  • 2015

    The film before

    Daddy's Home

    2015

    Not in our catalogue yet
  • 2017

    You’re here

    Daddy's Home 2

    2017

    You’re on this film’s page
The people behind the film

Cast and crew

The faces in front of the camera, and the people who brought the story to life.

Main cast

In billing order
Close-up photograph of a smiling man with short dark hair and stubble, wearing a grey t-shirt in front of a blue and white backdrop.Mark Wahlbergas Dusty
Head and shoulders photograph of a smiling man with curly fair hair, wearing a dark jacket over a striped shirt with a pink pocket square.Will Ferrellas Brad
Smiling woman with wavy shoulder-length brown hair and a black top, in front of a yellow backdrop.Linda Cardellinias Sara
John Lithgow smiling outdoors in a black suit, white shirt and black tie, with trees and evening light behind him.John Lithgowas Don
Smiling man in a black cap and white t-shirt, indoors with wooden panelling behind him.John Cenaas Roger

Behind the camera

Directed by
Sean Anders
Original score
Michael Andrews
Photo credits

Portraits via Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence, approved for this page by a person. Sources and full photographer credits:

Mark Wahlberg · U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jorge A. Rosales · Source image (opens in a new tab) · Public domain.

Will Ferrell · Adam Chitayat · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Linda Cardellini · Daniel Benavides from Austin, TX · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

John Lithgow · Rubenstein · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Mel Gibson · Georges Biard · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

John Cena · https://www.youtube.com/@mortalkombat Mortal Kombat · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Step into the story

Filming locations

The real places behind Daddy's Home 2. Choose one to explore.

Find it on the mapProspect Street, Hingham, Massachusetts

© OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in a new tab)

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Photographs of the real places

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Photo credits & location sources

These are photographs of the places, not film stills. Dates vary; photographs do not show current conditions or guarantee access.

Prospect Street, Hingham, Massachusetts · Boston Globe (opens in a new tab)

Great Barrington, Massachusetts · Kenneth C. Zirkel · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · WAMC (opens in a new tab)

Map pins mark the place, not a camera position or a route. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), including any pin positions read from OpenStreetMap.

A little more Daddy's Home 2

Film facts &
behind the scenes

For the fans who stay after the credits.

On set

The Berkshires base was a ski hill car park

For the spring 2017 shoot the crew made Ski Butternut in Great Barrington their headquarters, parking about a dozen trucks by the tubing hill, while a large house on a nearby lane stood in for family scenes.

Read the story

Source: Berkshire Edge ↗ (opens in a new tab)

On set

Filming started in March 2017 and brought millions to the Berkshires

Cameras began rolling in Great Barrington on 20 March 2017. Paramount later put the local spend at roughly 19 million dollars, with lodging, restaurants and vehicle rental the biggest shares.

Read the story

Source: Berkshire Edge ↗ (opens in a new tab) · WAMC ↗ (opens in a new tab)

On set

A cinema in Lawrence doubled up as a film location

The production spent about a week shooting at Showcase Cinemas in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where Mel Gibson and John Lithgow were spotted working on set.

Read the story

Source: NBC Boston ↗ (opens in a new tab)

And at a glance

Releases and certificates
: In cinemas (US).
At the UK box office
£9,742,929, as of .
Sources & a note on these facts

Each production story is linked to its source, in our own words. Ending details stay behind a spoiler reveal.

Good to know

Questions about Daddy's Home 2

Who directed Daddy's Home 2?

Sean Anders directed it, with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell leading the cast alongside Mel Gibson and John Lithgow.

Where was Daddy's Home 2 filmed?

It was shot in Massachusetts, including a street in Hingham and the Great Barrington area in the Berkshires, during spring 2017.

Is Daddy's Home 2 a sequel?

Yes. It follows Daddy's Home (2015) and is the second film in the series.

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Elsewhere on CineClaus

More places to find Daddy's Home 2, and a few good reasons to keep exploring.

In this collection

Best family Christmas films

Daddy's Home 2 is in this collection

Explore the collection
Stay for another story.All collections · The Christmas Edit