Why Him?

A doting father (Bryan Cranston) meets the new boyfriend (James Franco) of his precious daughter (Zoey Deutch); he dislikes the guy on sight, and his antipathy grows by leaps and bounds over an uncomfortable Christmas weekend. Warning to the prudish, the squeamish and those easily offended by sex-and-potty jokes and rampant profanity: this is not the movie for you. For the rest, proceed with confidence, because raunchy and undisciplined as it is, it’s pretty damn funny. Cranston shows an unsuspected (though not surprising) flair for comedy, and a freewheeling chemistry with Franco, Megan Mullally (as his wife) and the underrated Deutch. Cedric the Entertainer, Zack Pearlman and Griffin Gluck round out the main cast. Written by Jonah Hill, Ian Helfer and director John Hamburg, it’s lowbrow but energetic. J.L.