Playing with Fire

Directed by Andy Fickman, Playing with Fire follows a crew of smokejumpers, including John Cena’s Jake and John Leguizamo’s Rodrigo, as they find themselves forced to care for three rambunctious kids. It’s a decent-enough premise that’s employed to periodically watchable yet predominantly forgettable effect by Fickman, as the filmmaker, armed with a screenplay by Dan Ewen and Matt Lieberman, delivers a bland, momentum-free comedy that contains little in the way of wholeheartedly compelling elements and attributes – with the picture’s arms-length atmosphere compounded by a hit-and-miss, episodic narrative devoid of memorable, stand-out sequences. It’s clear, then, that Playing with Fire‘s almost passable feel is due entirely to the efforts of its various performers, as Cena offers up a charming (and funny) lead turn that perpetuates the mindlessly entertaining vibe – with the actor receiving able support from costars like Judy Greer, Dennis Haysbert, and Keegan-Michael Key. (The latter’s wildly over-the-top efforts remain a highlight within the proceedings, admittedly.) By the time the predictably heartwarming finale rolls around, Playing with Fire has cemented its place as a kid-friendly endeavor that ultimately does little to capture and sustain the ongoing attention of older viewers.

** out of ****