Why Him?

Play trailer

2:25

Why Him?

R

2016

1h 51m

Holiday

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

40%

Tomatometer

154 Reviews

51%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

During the holidays, loving but overprotective Ned (Bryan Cranston) travels to California to visit his daughter Stephanie (Zoey Deutch) at Stanford University. While there, he meets his biggest nightmare: her well-meaning but socially awkward boyfriend, Laird (James Franco). Even though Laird is a multimillionaire, Ned disapproves of his freewheeling attitude and unfiltered language. His panic level escalates even further when he learns that Laird plans to ask for Stephanie's hand in marriage.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Solidly cast but overall misconceived, Why Him? offers the odd chuckle, but ultimately adds disappointingly little to its tired father-vs.-fiancé formula.

Read Critics Reviews

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

If the film drags a little at the end, it's perhaps because the film-makers were enjoying the company of these characters as much as the audience undoubtedly will.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 1, 2017

Full Review

Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

Why Him? has all the flaws you'd expect, from the non-existent visual style to the shortchanging of the women in the cast.

Rated: 2.5/5

Dec 28, 2016

Full Review

Donald Clarke

Irish Times

We do not predict a lifespan to compare with that of Meet the Parents.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 27, 2016

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Why Him? Why me?

Rated: 1.5/4

Aug 17, 2021

Full Review

Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

Balances raunchy humour - an awkward electronic toilet sequence rivals anything from the Adam Sandler canon - with actual heartfelt storytelling resulting in an enjoyably bawdy holiday pastime.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 3, 2021

Full Review

Ricardo Gallegos

Pólvora

It consistently makes you laugh throughout the 110 minute duration. [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 2, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

G R

Hilarious. Don’t care what anyone says.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/23/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Loved the movie, it was really funny...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/19/25

Full Review

alan g

Tedious remake of several films. James Panko cannot act and plays like the whole thing is a joke. How did Brian Cranston get involved on this crap?

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/29/25

Full Review

Mazen A

I always say you can tell a good movie from the first 3 minutes, this movie has been nothing but great! I highly dislike and don't recomend it.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/18/25

Full Review

Ben N

This is a standard 'meet the family' rom-com, with some twists. Language is rampantly over the top as a plot point. That said, just when something would go over the top a great acting job or clever line would pull the movie back into line and I laughed out loud often. I also identified with characterizations in the film and had a good time rolling with the punches like the family. Fun, silly, and funny throughout - worthwhile if you want a light rom-com.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/27/25

Full Review

Sol B

Why...make this movie?

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/22/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

John Hamburg

Director

James Franco

Laird Mayhew

Bryan Cranston

Ned Fleming

Zoey Deutch

Stephanie Fleming

Megan Mullally

Barb Fleming

Griffin Gluck

Scotty Fleming

Office Christmas Party

41%

41%

Office Christmas Party

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Office Christmas Party

The Night Before

68%

61%

The Night Before

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Night Before

A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas

69%

59%

A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas

Watchlist

TRAILER

for A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas

The Oath

63%

40%

The Oath

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Oath

Bad Santa 2

23%

34%

Bad Santa 2

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Bad Santa 2

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

On DVD This Week: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Silence, Planet Earth II, and More

Pete’s Dragon, The Handmaiden, Iron Fist and More on Netflix and Amazon Prime This Week

Box Office: Rogue One Rings in 2017 at #1 Nearing $800M

Why Him?: Trailer 1

2:25

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

During the holidays, loving but overprotective Ned (Bryan Cranston) travels to California to visit his daughter Stephanie (Zoey Deutch) at Stanford University. While there, he meets his biggest nightmare: her well-meaning but socially awkward boyfriend, Laird (James Franco). Even though Laird is a multimillionaire, Ned disapproves of his freewheeling attitude and unfiltered language. His panic level escalates even further when he learns that Laird plans to ask for Stephanie's hand in marriage.

Director: John Hamburg
Producer: Shawn Levy, Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, Dan Levine
Screenwriter: John Hamburg, Ian Helfer
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Red Hour Productions, TSG Entertainment, 21 Laps Entertainment
Rating: R (Strong Language|Sexual Material Throughout)
Genre: Holiday, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 23, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 14, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $60.2M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now