Domestic comedies research- Examples

As our film is a domestic comedy I decided to research more into this genre. This is so I could see what effects and tone suit the film and potentially structure my film in the same way. By doing this I could make my film more suited to the target audience of our film. 

Daddy Day Care: 

One example of a film in the domestic comedy genre is Daddy Day care. The main setting for this film is in a family household with a family consisting of a mother, father and a child. Ben (the child) is starting school and is struggling to choose one where he fits in. As his dad is not content with his  career so leaves and decided to run a day care center from his home with his best friend and old work colleague. However, all does not go to plan when they don't fit all the regulations needed to run a day care center. Also, they're in competition with a popular private school and in order to try and move to a larger space hey begin fundraising. Meanwhile, the father has to decide whether risking his marriage is worth giving his son what he needs and leaving his day job.

Step Brothers: 

This film is about two people that get married and move in together along with their 40 odd year old sons. Originally, the two step brothers hate each other and refuse to get along. However, through a mutual hate of another sibling the pair realize they have more in common than they thought. From this they spend every minute of every day with each other until the father decides they need to grow up and get a job. When this doesn't go to plan they come up with their own business which the parents didn't think highly of. The brothers fall out and go their separate ways finding their way back to each other by the end of the film. 

We're the millers: 

Another film supporting the domestic comedy genre is we're the millers. Uncommonly they are not a real family and are put together by the father role as he wants to snuggle drugs out of Mexico back to America. By doing this he believes they will look less suspicious which would make them less at risk when crossing the border. However, throughout the film we forget they're not a real family and imagine they are through the way they act amongst each other. The family argue continuously through the film and disagree with almost everything that occurs on the trip. As the film reaches it's ending the fake family are looking out and protecting one another. It ends with them living together as if they were a real family.



Look who's talking: 

This film is based around a woman who has fallen pregnant and is now longer with the man who is the father to her baby. The plot develops however when she meets a new man who helps her out and begins to fall in love with her and her child. The film is shown through the child's point of view and how he sees the two men who play a key role in his life. His biological father is uninterested and the child takes more of a liking to the new man (James). Although the child can't speak we hear his thoughts and feelings through monologues. The film also has a comedic, love story going on through the woman and her new love interest.


By looking at examples of domestic comedies it allowed me to see what generic conventions work better than others which could help me to improve the story line of our film. By getting ideas from the films I've researched it has allowed me to start thinking about the audience our film should suit and what it should consist of.