Film

Why Him?

Name: Why Him?
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2016
Cast: Bryan Cranston, James Franco, Zoey Deutch, Megan Mullally, Griffin Gluck

Comedy
Light-hearted

A tech-millionaire boyfriend clashes spectacularly with his girlfriend's conservative father over Christmas. It's a broad, energetic comedy that leans hard on character conflict and culture shock—the kind of movie that finds humor in generational disconnect and awkward family dynamics. Made for anyone who enjoys silly stakes and committed ensemble performances.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy broad, sharp-elbowed comedies where a cringe-inducing clash of personalities is the whole engine, and where the performers commit to the mess with real relish.

Skip it if you want a gentle, low-stakes family film; this one leans crude and loud, and its humour depends heavily on profanity and escalating embarrassment that not everyone finds funny.

What it asks of you: Settle in for just under two hours of escalating set-pieces, with the energy running high and the jokes landing hard rather than sneaking up on you.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

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But The humor is very much of its era—some jokes about sexuality and masculinity have aged into uncomfortable territory. It's also genuinely cringe-inducing, which some find exhausting rather than funny.

Father of the Bride1991

Steve Martin as a dad watching his daughter grow up and slip away into someone else's life. It's sentimental without being sappy, and finds real pathos in a parent's fear of irrelevance—the emotional spine that makes the comedy land.

But The setup feels dated now: wealthy white family, traditional wedding anxiety. The film is sincere about its stakes in a way that can feel slight to modern audiences.

Trading Places1983

Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd in a perfect clash of class and worldview. It's structured like a machine, with every setup paid off precisely, and the chemistry between leads makes you believe their antagonism.

But It's a broad 1980s comedy with some dated racial humor that doesn't land the way it's intended. Also requires patience—it builds slowly before the reversals kick in.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Why Him?

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Righteous Gemstones2019

Both are comedies about generational and ideological clash where the conflict feels rooted in real disagreement, not just setup and punchline. Both ask: what do we actually believe, and what are we willing to compromise?

A family megachurch implodes when wealth, entitlement, and genuine faith collide. It's genuinely funny—sharp, profane, committed—but also interested in why people believe what they believe, and whether money can buy redemption.

But It's wildly blasphemous and extremely violent; if you're religious or prefer your comedy gentler, this will feel aggressive rather than playful. Also very long per episode, and the plot is deliberately sprawling.

Old School2003

Will Ferrell goes toe-to-toe with a younger generation in a comedy that's genuinely about aging and irrelevance masquerading as a party movie. It's cruder than Why Him? but shares the DNA of an older guy refusing to be sidelined.

But The humor is aggressively juvenile and often relies on shock value rather than wit. If you find Will Ferrell exhausting, this will not convert you.

I Love You, Man2009

Paul Rudd and Jason Segel forge an unexpected friendship that feels real beneath the comedy. It's about male vulnerability and connection, wrapped in a rom-com package that doesn't condescend to its emotions.

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The In-Laws1979

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But The plot is deliberately thin and increasingly surreal, which means it requires you to abandon logic and just ride it. Some find that liberating; others find it empty.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall2008

Jason Segel's grief and humiliation feel real even as the movie around him cranks up to ridiculous. Judd Apatow's sensibility means characters are allowed to be messy and vulnerable, not just joke dispensers.

But It's a Judd Apatow comedy, which means it's overlong, indulgent with secondary characters, and relies on improvisation that doesn't always work. The romance plot is fairly conventional.

Wedding Crashers2005

Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn's chemistry carries a film that's genuinely interested in the rituals of courtship and family. It's looser than it needs to be, but that's part of the charm—it feels like watching friends mess around.

But The second half gets progressively softer and more sincere, which undercuts the anarchic energy that makes the first half work. Also wildly misogynistic if you look at it straight on.

Ghostbusters II1989

A sequel that doesn't repeat the original, trading horror-comedy for buddy dynamics as four men in their 40s reluctantly save the city again. Bill Murray's exhaustion is the whole point—he's too old for this, and we love him for it anyway.

But It's widely considered the weakest Ghostbusters film, and not without reason. The plot is thin, the effects are dated, and it feels like a retread even on first viewing.

Paterson2016

Where Why Him? is about a father protecting his daughter from change, Paterson is about accepting that the world changes and finding meaning in acceptance rather than resistance. Same tension, opposite resolution.

Adam Driver as a bus driver who writes poetry in New Jersey. It's a film about small, daily contentment—a man who has figured out how to live without striving, which is its own radical act. Utterly peaceful.

But There is no plot. Nothing happens except the texture of a day repeated. If you need narrative momentum or even much dialogue, you'll find it boring rather than meditative. It moves at a glacial pace.

The Diplomat2023

Both center on a man or woman watching their carefully ordered world destabilize, but The Diplomat finds humor and power in control rather than panic. It's the version where the protagonist stops fighting and starts figuring.

Keri Russell as a U.S. ambassador forced into an international crisis while managing her messy marriage and terrible job. It's stylish, funny, and genuinely interested in competence—a woman who is very good at her job, even when everything else falls apart.

But The first season gets progressively more plot-heavy and less character-focused as it goes, diluting what made the opening episodes sing. The secondary cast is undercooked, and some political threads feel half-baked.