History Film / WhyHim

%%* QuestioningTitle

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Film/MeetTheParents'' and ''Film/SonInLaw''.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Laird's lack of social skills could possibly be read as a sign of a social disorder.

* AscendedFanboy: And fangirls. [[spoiler:In an attempt to propose to Stephanie, Laird invited Music/{{KISS}}. Needless to she, her family, and their guests are shockingly, but pleasantly pleased.]]

** BenevolentAI: Nevertheless, she can be pleasant-ish enough, as long as they do not raise their voice and remain patient with her. Plus, it's clear she means well but probably isn't programmed well enough to convey it, much similar to her creator's lack of social skills. [[note]] She even tells Nick that she'll miss him when he leaves despite calling him an asshole earlier. [[/note]]

** BenevolentAI: Nevertheless, she can be pleasant-ish enough, as long as they do not raise their voice and remain patient with her. Plus, it's clear she means well but probably isn't programmed well enough to convey it, much similar to her creator's lack of social skills. [[note]] She even tells Nick that she'll miss him when he leaves despite calling him an asshole earlier. [[/note]].

* AscendedFanboy: And fangirls. [[spoiler:In an attempt to propose to Stephanie, Laird invited the KISS band. Needless to she, her family, and their guests are shockingly, but pleasantly pleased.]]

* IAteWhat: The "deconstructed eggnog" Ned samples at the party is implied to be semen.

* RealityEnsues: Since Ned only met Laird for a short time and while the young man is genuinely harmless, he's still new to him and has done and said some inappropriate things during the visit. So, it's no wonder why he's hesitant on Laird asking to marry Stephanie.

* NotSoDifferent: Lampshaded by Stephanie, who tells Ned that Laird is the man who reminds her the most of him, in the sense that he's completely honest, with no filter. It's also hinted multiple times that Ned MIGHT have been a little like Laird while he and Barb were dating -- his pot smoking, his being a KISS fan (albeit up to present day), how he got fired for selling Datsuns (a brand that went defunct in 1986), the decade or so separating him and Barb (even if Bryan Cranston is only two years older than Megan Mullaly in real life). As such, Ned may dislike Laird so much at first because he reminds him of his younger, less responsible self.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/whyhim_header_desktop_front_main_stage.jpg]]

Ned Fleming (Creator/BryanCranston) goes on a trip with his wife and teenage son to visit his daughter Stephanie (Zoey Deutch) at Stanford over the Christmas holidays, only to have to deal with (and suffer) her boyfriend, Laird Mayhew (Creator/JamesFranco), a very eccentric and ''very'' socially awkward Silicon Valley billionaire.

* TrailersAlwaysLie: Although a very crucial part of the movie's first trailer, Laird never sicks a spy drone upon Ned and Stephanie. And there's no rock-hurling incident.

* StacysMom: Laird even says that Barb is a total ''MILF''.

* AIIsACrapshoot: Justine comes with her own attitude and talks back at humans if they don't talk to her in a calm tone. She's also too meddling in Ned's personal life as she becomes more of a bother than an assistant.

** BenevolentAI: Nevertheless, she can be pleasant-ish enough, as long as they do not raise their voice and remain patient with her. Plus, it's clear she means well but probably isn't program well enough to convey it, much similar to her creator's lack of social skills. [[note]] She even tells Nick that she'll miss him when he leaves despite calling him an asshole earlier [[/note]].