Flicks, Tony Stamp
It’s a wonderfully grotty film, definitely not for the faint of heart. But get on Timpson’s skewiff wavelength and it really is a blast.
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Come to Daddy
Gory, gross-out black comedy following Norval (Elijah Wood) as he reunites with his estranged father after receiving a cryptic letter. Stephen McHattie, Martin Donovan and Michael Smiley co-star in this directorial debut from producer Ant Timpson (The Greasy Strangler, The ABCs of Death).
"Norval’s (Elijah Wood) life has been, to put it lightly, difficult. Currently living home with his mother, the troubled young man is coming off alcohol-related struggles. So when he receives an unexpected letter from his estranged father requesting a visit, Norval catches a bus up to his dad’s secluded and scenic waterfront home. Maybe reconnecting with his father will give Norval the emotional fulfillment he’s been lacking. Before long, though, he notices something off about his dad, an uneasy feeling triggered by inappropriate comments and a possible over-dependence on booze. Norval quickly realises that his hope of father/son bonding is doomed. Instead of a family reunion, he finds himself in a waking nightmare." (Tribeca Film Festival)
2019Rating: R16, Violence, sexual references & offensive language93 minsIreland, Canada, New Zealand, USA
ComedyHorrorFestival & Independent
- Director:
- Ant Timpson (feature debut)
- Writer:
- Toby Harvard
- Cast:
- Elijah WoodStephen McHattieOna GrauerMichael SmileyMartin DonovanMadeleine SamiGarfield WilsonSimon Chin
Come to Daddy / Reviews
New Zealand Listener
Timpson’s love of genre also plays a familiar tune, and it’s his ability to surprise – as well as gross out – his audience that makes Come to Daddy an agreeably stomach-churning pleasure.
Full reviewStuff
Every great film has a love-story somewhere near its heart, propelling it forward and giving our heroes and villains an emotional payload worth fighting for. The love story in Come To Daddy is clearly visible, early and often.
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Los Angeles Times
"Come to Daddy..." does deliver a good, sick twist; and sometimes that's enough.
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The New York Times
Enjoyable performances... hold the film to its redemptive goals, even as it descends into what can only be described as bloody bedlam.
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Hollywood Reporter
Unfortunately, the movie is far more effective in its first half than its second, which degenerates into cheap shocks, absurd plot contrivances and vulgarism for its own sake.
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Collider
Funny and F'ed in the head with a cartoonish sense of humour that borders on magical realism, Come to Daddy is a strange brew, but it's a good one.
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Variety
The blend of tired jokes and body horror here seems entombed in amber, as every lacerated scalp, loudly broken limb, and use of the C-word makes it feel that much less original.
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IndieWire
A gory hilarious father-son reunion saga with a surprising degree of confidence in the silly-strange nature of the material.
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Film Threat
My favorite horror offering of the year so far. It’s smart, uncompromising, inventive and just downright hilarious.
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