Rating: PG-13 | Runtime: 104 minutes
Release Date: March 17th, 2026 (USA)
Studio: Republic Pictures
Director(s): Josh Duhamel
Writer(s): Richard D’Ovidio / Richard D’Ovidio & Nicole D’Ovidio (story)

I don’t actually speak Latin, do you?

The opening crosscuts in Josh Duhamel’s Preschool (written by Richard D’Ovidio from a story co-crafted by him and his wife Nicole) tell you everything you need to know about what’s to come. We watch as Alan (Duhamel) and Brian (Michael Socha) very seriously talk at their newborn children about the lives they will move heaven and earth to see come to fruition. They make lofty promises, reveal their own insecurities, and startle upon discovering their wives heard.

Lauren (Charity Wakefield) and Sarah (Antonia Thomas) want the best for their children too, but they understand the balance necessary for a healthy life and the difference between support and pressure. Do they force their husbands to understand it too? Not really. They roll their eyes whenever Alan and Brian go overboard because they presume both men will eventually realize they’re acting insane. For the sake of the film, however, that insanity is what sells.

Alan and Lauren have a lot of money. Brian and Sarah have enough. Alan is a brash American who acts more important than he is. Brian is an uncouth self-made man who cannot see he is more important than he believes. And their kids (Eadie Johnson’s Grace and Arris Crooke’s Dylan, respectively) are legitimately the perfect candidates for Mrs. Lawrence’s (Fenella Woolgar) prestigious preschool. Sadly, there’s only one open spot left for the semester.

It’s a fun point of conflict for absurd comedy as these two couples are presented with the task of writing a thesis (no more than twenty pages) about their child’s worthiness and conducting a “father’s presentation” devoid of any concrete instructions. What will Alan and Brian do to gain the upper hand? Is espionage enough? Bribery? Blackmail? Sabotage? Everything is on the table once their wives foolishly give them the benefit of the doubt.

Lauren and Sarah inevitably become best friends in the process considering they can see past the toxic masculinity to recognize how alike they are despite their very different socio-economic backgrounds. They are ultimately the ones bearing the brunt of their husbands’ shame too as a result since nothing (broken bones, poisonous bites, or reputational suicide) will deter the men from their asinine ambitions. It’ll be a miracle if both families aren’t forced to leave town.

The jokes are broad and the situations familiar, but don’t discount the ability of D’Ovidio’s script and Duhamel’s direction to push the envelope and render their clichés wild enough to feel fresh. Brian’s family consisting of a better educated and more successful brother (Laurie Kynaston) and a gregarious father quick to call him on his bullshit (James Cosmo) might hit all the usual notes, but the former’s sarcasm and latter’s eccentricities keep it interesting.

We get the requisite “feats of strength” scene with a contemporary sport in an enclosed space (Padel). There’s an off-putting yet believable children’s variety show (led by Colin Carmichael’s Monkey) that gets used as a measuring stick of self-worth. And the best bookend joke I’ve seen in quite some time courtesy of a joyfully boisterous preschool being located directly opposite the gloomy prison-like fort Alan and Brian must keep reminding us is the “good” one.

I love where the film takes Grace and Dylan as far as proving their fathers correct where their excellence is concerned despite also showing how their own smug satisfaction undercuts the victory. I enjoyed the fact that the escalation of idiocy and real monetary and social damage inflicted ratchets up with little regard for remorse because it ensures neither dad can earn our empathy. And yet it’s also nice that both get their moment to admit where they’ve gone wrong.

As such, Preschool truly lives and dies by how you embrace Duhamel and Socha in these very flawed yet relatable roles. This is the sort of comedy that demands its performances elevate the plot’s rote machinations and I believe they do exactly that. Because even though we cannot fully empathize with them due to their deplorable shenanigans, we can see it in their eyes that they know they’ve gone too far. They simply cannot stop once that train leaves the station.

So, enjoy their descent into immaturity and violence while you can. The tracks will eventually end as both are destined to realize they’ve lost even if their goal is achieved. Because Alan and Brian are the real children. It’s their competitive nature that drives their kids to excel at activities they might not even fully comprehend to pursue that excellence themselves. These men are spoiled brats refusing to share who need Grace and Dylan to finally show them how.

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(Top – Bottom) Josh Duhamel as “Alan” and Michael Socha as “Brian” in the Comedy, Family film, PRESCHOOL; courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).