The Game Plan

Posted by Greg

March 24, 2008

Between the Rock and a Hard Case

**1/2 out of *****

I guess it’s a standard move these days for ‘tough guy’ actors to broaden their horizons (and fan base) by appearing in cute comedies out of their element or with kids and/or animals. Arnie cleaned up in Kindergarten Cop; Vin Diesel failed miserably in The Pacifier and let’s not mention Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. It’s a delicate balancing act - act too cute and you’ll look like a limp vegetable; too tough and you won’t be stretching your image. In The Game Plan, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson uses his formidable on-screen likeability to mostly pull it off, although the script offers zero surprises and every cliche in the book. Despite this, it’s a great family film to bring the kids to.

Joe Kingman (Johnson) is an American football superstar. His apartment is massive, his sports car is shiny, his girlfriends are many. One day, an 8-year old girl named Peyton shows up at his apartment claiming to be his daughter, which he scoffs at - until she produces birth certificates and letters from her mother, a girl Joe was briefly married to. Left with no choice but to care for her while the mother is briefly overseas, he finds his bachelor lifestyle thrown into a tailspin, as he’s suddenly forced to deal with things like ballet classes, bubble baths and tea parties.

The ‘cute little kid turning a tough guy into a softie’ story has been done a hundred times by a hundred directors - from Shirley Temple’s early movies to Little Orphan Annie to John Hughes’ Curly Sue and beyond, so there’s very little that you can do to remain fresh; in a movie like this, it all comes down to the casting.

I happen to like The Rock - I think he’s an immensely likeable performer and has the charisma to hold your attention. His young costar - 9-year old Madison Pettis - had a lot on her shoulders too, because if she doesn’t strike the right chord, the movie would fail. Luckily, she comes out okay, and is a fun kid to watch. Some of her lines are painfully forced and she sometimes sounds a bit whiny (I guess all kids do) but she holds her own, reminding us lucky folks without kids just how independent and strong-willed they can be.

As the script deals with the obvious problems - kid confronts girlfiend; kid decorates apartment with flowers; kid charms macho friends - Joe slowly warms up to his newfound role as father, despite intense press coverage and his doubts about whether he’ll make a good dad. When he meets his match in Peyton’s ballet instructor (insanely gorgeous Roselyn Sanchez), he starts to loosen up and realize that not everything revolves around parties, protien shakes and paparazzi.

Playing the superstar football player, Johnson expectedly pulls it off, as he once played in Miami and Calgary (my hometown, thankyouverymuch) before he became The Rock, and uh… then became Dwayne Johnson again. He uses his Chiclet-white teeth to good effect and clearly knows how to move is considerable girth for greatest effect. His chemistry with young Pettis is enjoyable but never really sparks, although it’s cute to see him wear a jacket on a date that she’s decorated with shiny jewels, and join her and her friends at a tea party.

Those looking for a mind-stretching morality play or a tough-as-nails Rock movie will be disappointed, but The Game Plan scores as a great movie to bring the family to. Adults will likely remain mildly amused, but kids should love it. It won’t win points for originality, but it’s entertaining enough to make it a good family choice.

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