The Game Plan

Well, I got to see this tonight as a sneak preview. I went in excited because the trailer cracked me up and wasn't disappointed. It was cute. Some of the lines are corny but some of it was serious stuff. You get to see some emotion from Johnson. The beginning cracks you up, you see this guy basically in love with himself trying to make it to the big one of his football career when he has a little girl thrust upon him. He doesn't know what to do, how to handle her. I think that the background relationship with his father could have been fleshed out a little better,you only get a hint of it, but otherwise it was a good movie. Some of the parts are HILARIOUS!! The little girl in the movie has got definite attitude and it cracked me up. Overall it was a decent movie, a good one to see.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable family movie. Saw it with my wife and 10 year old son and we all had a great time. The Rock is improving as an actor and was quite funny, especially in the Ballet... The little girl was very cute. The humor was squeaky clean and the message was clear and sweet. Loved it. Kyra Sedwick was funny in places which I'm not used to seeing. The supporting cast of football players was well done. There isn't much football in the movie so it won't turn off non-athletes. I think the Rock's charm will continue to drive his career as he is able to always bring the charm while pulling off the tough male ego.

Big Joe Kingman is living the all-American dream: he's a superstar quarterback and living large. His team loves him and big sponsorships are flowing thick and fast.

There's only one little hiccup for the big man: an 8 year-old girl shows up on his doorstep one evening. The King's entire life is turned upside down within a month.

Joe discovers that this peppy little gal is none other than his daughter. Dad and daughter have to make up for lost time, often with hilarious results.

The Rock shows yet again why he is an all-American superstar: he's bright, brawny and full of talent. Madison Pettis does a sterling job as Peyton Kelly, his sassy little daughter.

The duo has brilliant on-screen chemistry and Disney has compiled a sure-fire family winner in The Game Plan.

OK, I know that The Game Plan was very cheesy and extremely predictable, but who cares? What were people expecting? It's Disney, it's supposed to be this kind of a film. I saw The Game Plan with my friend yesterday and we both liked it, we got a few laughs from it and it was over all a well made movie. We were both very impressed with the little actress, Madison Pettis, who played The Rock's daughter, she was incredibly believable and didn't over do her role or was too cute that it made you sick. The script may not be Oscar material, but it was perfect for a family film and the story while it may not be the most original, still had it's funny and touching moments.

Joe is a quarterback on Boston's football team and they are about to go to the championships. His personal life is usual the same each night, party all night with his buds and party all night with the good looking women. But all that changes when there's a stranger at the door, a little girl who claims to be his daughter, her name is Peyton and that she's his daughter from a short marriage he had. With his expensive home and party life style, Joe may need to make some changes to his life, as hard as that may be. But he ends up gaining something more in the end, a loving daughter to call him "daddy".

Like I said, this is a Disney film, don't expect Oscar worthy material, it's just a fun little family flick. No one will ever get sick of the "big guy with muscles" trying to relate to the little one's, just look at Kindergarten Cop or The Pacifier, both films were good and have a lot of fans. Besides if someone can tell me the honest truth that they were not laughing at The Rock's allergic reaction to cinnamon and started speaking like Daffy Duck, they really must not have a funny bone in their body. The Game Plan is the perfect family film for the season, it's a cute film.

7/10

American football team Boston Rebels' star quarterback Joe Kingman (The Rock) has only two loves in his life - Football and Elvis Presley. Like all successful sports superstars at the top of their game, he's living the good life, with his swanky penthouse apartment fitted with the latest luxuries, a sportster that screams "Mo Jo(e)", and endless parties with beautiful women. But alas one fine day he finds little Peyton Kelly (Madison Pettis) at his doorstep, claiming to be his daughter, and thus putting the brakes in his fast life.

It's convenient to start weaving woeful family drama and comedy about the complete opposites being struck by Fate to live under the same roof. As the trailers would have suggested, everything comes off quite predictably, and at times you feel that such scenes where the young girl tosses Kingman's life upside down, to be a little too contrived, and mostly having fall flat at its attempts to be funny. When funny doesn't work, it switches gears to cute.

However, The Game Plan possesses a certain charm, helped in loads without a doubt by the charisma of Dwayne The Rock Johnson. WWE entertainers perform their craft perfectly in the wrestling ring, but extremely few have made the transition to the big screen almost seamlessly. Dwayne Johnson happens to be one of the lucky few, with his megawatt smile and very personable demeanour, bringing him across as the big buddy you would like to hang out with. And while we know he can do action - The Scorpion King, Rundown, Walking Tall and Doom, he has shown a range of his ability through dramas like Gridiron Gang, and comedy, with his extremely hilarious turn in Be Cool. In The Game Plan, he rolls all those into one without breaking a sweat, and this movie is almost single-handedly saved from the doldrums by resting itself on his broad muscular shoulders.

Gridiron Gang had American Football elements in it, though The Rock now crosses from being the coach to the star player. He's the action sports hero with trademark moves (every respectable star would have one of those), the arrogant himbo who let success go into his head, and through the movie, we see a transformation to sensitive dad. What you don't see The Rock do, is best kept under wraps as probably THE BEST SCENE in this movie, which you have to watch to bear witness. Talk about extreme flexibility! Some credit of course has to go to his co-stars in making the movie more palatable to a wider audience outside the fan base, though most of them, like Kyra Sedgwick as the bimbo, and Roselyn Sanchez as the hot latino instructor, are more caricatures without much personality injected, as expected. Madison Pettis shines in her role as the precocious kid, but sometimes she pouts too much and comes across more irritating than cute, though still managing to hold her own opposite Johnson. There are some heartwarming scenes between her and The Rock, and you'll probably be trying to hold back that teardrop.

This is still a star vehicle for Dwayne Johnson, and I hope that he will not ditch his action roles for drama or comedy, given a distinct lack of action movie stars that I humbly think he can fill. We all know how Arnie fared when he dabbled with comedy before going back to his Terminator roots, or Vin Diesel for that matter when he traded stunts for the milk bottle in The Pacifier. Filled with plenty of Elvis songs (director Andy Fickman is reportedly a fan) that you can hear Johnson serenade with, there are enjoyable moments in The Game Plan, and its predictable Zacherie sweet messages on family, determination and the likes, will no doubt make this movie achieve a decent box office success here.

As a fan, I can't wait for his debut in Get Smart, and crossing my fingers he'll be casted in the much rumored production of Shazam! as The Big Red Cheese!