A new topic to beat to death: Daddy Day Care a new firm starring Eddie Murphy as an out-of-work dad who founds a day-center that uses "fairly unconventional and sidesplitting methods of caring for children" (Sony Picture's words, not mine). The film is slated to open in early May, and I am already angling to get tickets. I'm just buzzing with curiousity.

I should have seen this coming. Stay-at-home dad extraordinaire Buzz McClain mentioned the film to me at a Christmas cocktail party as part of a heartfelt why-are-movie-dads-ALWAYS-protrayed-as-bumbling-morons discussion. (See Keaton, Michael: Mr. Mom) Buzz was not optimistic about the prospect of seeing dad-dom represented by Pluto Nash.

But under the any-news-is-good-news view of the media, this could be a goldmine. Perhaps the movie will launch a thousand profiles, as local TV stations and newspapers seek to piggyback off of the flick with cute stories about real "Daddy Day Cares." Perhaps a lot of Rebel Dads will get the chance to tell their stories. That would be good, no?

(I am presuming the film will riff on the idea that fathers have lots of love to give and just about zero parenting skills. I am not deeply bothered by this. such characterization are, of course, untrue, but Eddie Murphy comedies are not designed to serve as a mirror for society. God forbid anyone use the Nutty Professor as an object lesson on bioethics and clinical research protocols.)

So I'm taking a poll: "Daddy Day Care" -- a trainwreak-in-waiting or good, old-fashioned dumb fun?