Come To Daddy - Movie Review

Come to Daddy is a movie I’ve been hearing about for a few years. The script was hailed for being an original concept with a fresh take on family drama. Genre favorites Elijah Wood and Stephen McHattie were cast as the leads. Then the trailer was released, and it only hyped the movie up more. Well cut, not revealing too much. The trailer painted the film as a claustrophobic, slow burn thriller. Much to my surprise, the trailer was a red herring to throw everyone off. Once in the films grasp it leads on you on a completely different journey.

Now, I don’t want to spoil the film. It’s too good. You must go into this knowing as little as possible.

I will go over a few things I loved that don’t spoil the plot.

The Leads - Elijah Wood as Norval Greenwood is the perfect millennial hipster waste of space. From his one of a kind gold plated Lorde phone to his bowl-cut, he is a lead that you are forced to be with, not one you like. He’s that friend in your social circle that you put up with because they’re friends with someone else you do like. Stephen McHattie is great as always. He played Norval’s long lost father. He’s brash, unfiltered, and cruel. In any other actor’s hands, you’d outright hate him, but McHattie is the master of being the likeable curmudgeon, at least initially. Somehow these unlikable people keep us engaged in the movie. When things shift and twist you are pulled deeper into this grimy world, surprised with how much you care. With lesser actors, it wouldn’t work.

The Filming Location – The oddly out of place 60’s style home hovering above the rocky beach of Vancouver Island is a character all its own.  It’s bleak and beautiful, but also threatening. If something bad were to happen, help is miles away. There’s no Wi-Fi or television, no modern comfort. Just nature and the friction between our two characters.

See this movie. It’s a fun, wild ride that is perfect for watching with a group.