AllMovie

Jim and Dave, a dad and a step-dad, have trouble bonding with their son during a 3-day weekend upstate. Tynan DeLong directs “Dad & Step-Dad,” a rolling deadpan comedy feature that’s lighthearted and strangely moving about the odd relationship between two dads and one son. Arriving at a peaceful country home next to a babbling brook, Jim and his 13-year-old son, Branson, look to unwind. Also at the cabin is Branson’s step-dad, Dave; as Branson runs off to entertain himself, Jim and Dave are left to chit-chat about a litany of mundane subjects — air mattresses, cigars, grilling hotdogs, guitars, highway travel vs. country roads. Every time a new topic is discussed, a trivial disagreement emerges. As the weekend wears on, Dave receives an unsettling phone call, the dads discover a troubling drawing, and Branson’s mother shows up, creating a whirlwind of reactions.