The Game Plan

A family comedy in the vein of Kindergarten Cop and The Pacifier, The Game Plan casts Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Joe Kingman – a star quarterback whose fast-paced lifestyle is thrown for a loop after his illegitimate (and previously unknown) eight-year-old daughter arrives on his doorstop. Not surprisingly, Joe initially doesn’t take too well to little Peyton’s (Madison Pettis) presence – though it’s not long before the ace footballer finds himself embracing fatherhood. There’s little doubt that The Game Plan‘s early success is due almost entirely to Johnson’s charismatic and sporadically hilarious performance, as the actor enthusiastically steps into the shoes of an egomaniacal, ridiculously conceited sports legend. Nichole Millard and Kathryn Price’s woefully pedestrian screenplay hits every single hackneyed beat one might’ve expected from such a premise, however, and it becomes increasingly difficult to overlook the more overtly predictable elements that have been sprinkled throughout the proceedings. It goes without saying that the film probably would’ve benefited from a much shorter running time, as, at 110 minutes, there’s simply no denying that certain sequences feel unreasonably padded out (a vibe that’s compounded by the protracted and egregiously melodramatic third act). That Peyton primarily comes off as a shrill and downright irritating little brat only exacerbates the The Game Plan‘s various problems, and it ultimately seems unlikely that the movie will appeal to viewers outside of its target demographic (ie pre-pubescent tots).

** out of ****