Dad's Home

The film opens with Ben Westman, a workaholic widower, juggling his high-stress advertising job with his responsibilities as a father to Lindsay and Dylan. His life is upended when his boss, Ed, fires him after twenty years, citing a shift toward 'market share and numbers' over personal relationships. Ben's brother Brian, a day trader, encourages him to find a new job, but Ben decides to fire their stern Russian nanny, Nula, and become a stay-at-home father. His initial attempts at domesticity are disastrous; he burns meals, fails to manage the school drop-off line correctly, and discovers he is out of touch with his children's lives. He meets Hope Jensen, Dylan's teacher, during a chaotic school drop-off and later when Dylan is suspended for punching a student who insulted his late mother. As Ben settles into his role, he faces several crises. Dylan suffers a severe asthma attack because Ben neglected to check the expiration date on his inhaler, leading to a late-night ER visit. Ben also struggles with Lindsay's transition into womanhood, eventually enlisting Hope's help to take Lindsay bra shopping. A major turning point occurs when Ben tries to 'sell the sizzle' at a school bake sale by hiding 'prizes' (walnuts) in cupcakes, unintentionally sending seven children to the emergency room due to anaphylactic shock. Despite these setbacks, Ben successfully coaches Dylan in baseball, helping him overcome his fear of being hit by the ball. A romance blossoms between Ben and Hope, but it is threatened when Ben receives a job offer in Cleveland. After realizing how much his presence has improved his children's lives and his own happiness, Ben turns down the job to stay in town, ending the film at Dylan's baseball game where he finally feels at home.