Parenting is Hell, and when we look to our children to absolve our sins or try to live vicariously through them, it’s even worse. That’s the premise behind PRESCHOOL, the new PG-13 comedy from writer Richard D’Ovidio (HYPNOTIC, THIR13EEN GHOSTS) and director Josh Duhamel (BUDDY GAMES).
Duhamel (TRANSFORMERS, SHOTGUN WEDDING) stars as Alan, an American expatriate who’s married into affluence while Michael Socha (“Being Human,” THIS IS ENGLAND) plays Brian, a bootstrapping entrepreneur who’s built his fortune through determination and risk. The film opens with each father greeting their newborns in separate hospitals, promising them the best that life has to offer and swearing their fealty to the next generation. Brian seems the more pragmatic of the two, laying out the blueprint for success to a minutes-old empty vessel that hasn’t the agency to accept while Alan encourages his growing progeny to be an astronaut (likely in a throwback to American superiority in that field).
When both fathers end up at the prestigious Puggsley Academy (a name I’m sure is meant to illustrate the folly of antiquity) and learn there is only one open slot left, their oaths to their children ignite the competitiveness within them and the war commences. Through dinners, sporting outings, and a little light stalking, the men learn each other’s weaknesses and plot to exploit them to achieve their ends.
The film constantly toys with the audience’s allegiance to either father, painting each in hues of sincerity and villainy. Brian seems to be the more sincere of the two for much of the film but takes the first big swings to humiliate and injure the other, marking him a villain. Alan, though largely vapid and armed only with money, seems justified when he cranks up the stakes after what he endures. What we see play out is class struggle, old vs new money, collectivist vs individualist cultural ideals, and men who delight, rather than deign, to fight dirty.
Keeping the film warm throughout are Charity Wakefield (“The Great”) and Antonia Thomas (“The Good Doctor”) as Alan and Brian’s wives, respectively. The latter, particularly, shines through as the heart of the film. While the men bicker, the women seek friendship and honest connection with one another.
But what of the children, you may ask. Therein lies the truth of the film, if not the draw for the audience. The children are impressive in their achievements and potential but, ultimately, are kids who crave joy over structure. Their ability to shine as their authentic selves gives the film its justified ending.
I had the opportunity to chat with actor/director Josh Duhamel and co-star Michael Socha a day before the film’s digital release, wherein we discussed the film’s location change, the class struggle at its heart, the physicality of it all, and the Wild & Crazies. Check out that interview here:
PRESCHOOL is currently available as a digital release for rent or purchase at all digital retailers.
Until next time, take care.
-McEric, aka Eric McClanahan-
