Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Come to Daddy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 30, 2021

There’s an old adage that states you only get one opportunity to make a first impression, and in that regard it’s been kind of interesting to watch Daniel Radcliffe and Elijah Wood attempt to break free of shackles set by roles they assumed either right off the bat (in the case of Radcliffe) or relatively early in their career (in the case of Wood). While Radcliffe’s first role was a minor supporting part in The Tailor of Panama which debuted in February of 2001, it was of course the young actor's starring turn in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which came out a few months later in 2001, which firmly established his supposed screen persona for at least one generation of filmgoers, especially since he kept returning to the role for so many subsequent years. Wood on the other hand arguably had a more varied early career, with a number of well regarded performances in films like Avalon and Radio Flyer , but it was of course his starring turn in the first film of another franchise with a redolent British literary imprimatur, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which really shot him into the cinematic stratosphere. Both actors seem to be aware that those relatively early strong impacts may have actually stuffed them into a perceived performance template, and as a result both actors have at least occasionally taken on some fairly risky projects. In that regard, Elijah Wood in Come to Daddy might be seen as a kinda sorta analogue to Daniel Radcliffe in Swiss Army Man, at least insofar as both films feature a corpse as a central plot point. Both films are also decidedly and intentionally odd, though Come to Daddy might actually have a relatively more straightforward narrative.

Note: Part of Come to Daddy relies on a conceit rife with misdirection, one which it is well nigh impossible to avoid when discussing the film in any great detail, though my colleague Brian Orndorf did an admirable job in his review. Those wanting to avoid any potential spoiler material are encouraged to read Brian's recap and to skip over the following comments and proceed directly to the technical portions of the review, below.

Norval Greenwood (Elijah Wood) shows up at the beachside home of his long estranged father Brian (Stephen McHattie) after having received a note (and map) from good ol' Dad requesting a reunion. The first half hour or so of the film documents this awkward reestablishment of a relationship, one that is fraught with tons of subtext, with things ultimately devolving to the point of violence, perhaps fueled by Brian's drinking problem. When Brian more or less flips out for no apparent reason and comes after Norval with a meat cleaver, the film would seem to be tipping over into Grand Guignol territory (and for those who like that sort of thing, just stay tuned), though the excitement of the skirmish seems to be too much for the elderly man, and he literally drops dead right there from a heart attack.

The next section of the film documents Norval's attempts to get the body taken care of, and there's actually no subterfuge involved. The police are called, Brian is pronounced dead, and Norval has the body embalmed, though a lack of "storage" space at local facilities means the corpse gets to "stay" with Norval back at the beach house. In the meantime Norval keeps hearing weird clanging sounds reverberating through the house (which Norval has compared to a 1960s UFO). Surprisingly late in this kind of ambling first two acts, Norval stumbles across an old photo album of him as a kid and has the horrifying discovery that the dead guy in a body bag is in fact not his father. At that point, the clanging resumes, and Norval sets out to investigate.

Suffice it to say that if this film were compared to someone with bipolar syndrome, the first two thirds of the film would be the "depressive" side of things, while the last 40 minutes or so would definitely be the "manic" phase. Norval discovers a "secret" hatch in the living room, and descends into a kind of dungeon like lair where he finds his real father (Martin Donovan) badly injured and chained to a wall. This actual family reunion is suddenly interrupted by a scruffy dude named Jethro (Michael Smiley), who descends into the cavelike prison to torture the real Brian. A scuffle with Norval ensues, with Jethro escaping, but with Brian even more badly injured than he was to begin with.

Suffice it to say at this point Brian offers an involved exposition dump whereby his history with a group of kidnappers is detailed, with the upshot being Brian's erstwhile partners in crime have been searching for him for years to obtain ransom he stole from them. The guy pretending to be Norval's father was actually named Gordon and was part of the group, as is Jethro, and another character who soon shows up, Dandy (Simon Chin). With Brian mortally wounded, Norval is suddenly forced to spring into action, resulting in a final act that does indeed tip into Grand Guignol territory — and then some.

There are some pretty horrifying bodily immolations that accrue as all of this unfolds, but the film actually has a surprisingly sweet undertone at times. The film's blacker than black comedic aspects may be a matter of personal taste for some, as will its graphic depictions of stabbings, piercings and suffocations, among other "activities", but Wood is engaging in a role that plays on his kind of melancholic presentational capabilities.

Come to Daddy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Come to Daddy is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The closing credits feature mentions of both Panavision lenses and the Millennium DXL2 camera, and I'm assuming the DI was finished at 2K. This is by and large a very appealing looking presentation, though some of the beach scenes can look a bit hazy. The sequences in the dungeon like lair beneath the beach home are on the murky side as well, but some gruesome fine detail in terms of some of the injuries suffered by various characters is certainly still noticeable. There are a couple of curious stylistic quirks at play, including some askew framings where things can almost look slightly anamorphically stretched in the corners of the frame. The palette is natural looking, with some rich blue tones especially prevalent.

Come to Daddy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Come to Daddy features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that offers some fun discrete channelization and immersion in the background roar of the ocean and especially in terms of the weird banging, clanging noises Norval starts hearing around the house. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, and Karl Steven's score is also rendered without any issues. Optional English or Spanish subtitles are available.

Come to Daddy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

While the Main Menu of this disc advertised "Special Features" (see screenshot 20), those turn out to simply be trailers for other Lionsgate releases and a bookmarking feature, neither of which I personally consider "scorable" as bonus material.

Come to Daddy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For a number of reasons, it might be fun for some fans to pair this film with You'll Like My Mother for an interesting double feature. This particular outing perhaps relies on an even more preposterous artifice than the old 1972 opus with Patty Duke does, but this film also has a decidedly dark sense of humor that the earlier film is lacking. Technical merits are generally solid for those who are considering a purchase.