Gridiron Gang star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson picks up the pigskin once again for this sports-themed family comedy concerning a football superstar who abandons the gridiron to answer the call of fatherhood. Joe Kingman (Johnson) was a star quarterback destined for greatness; not only is the Boston-based team he plays for well on their way to the championships, but he's got all the money and fame that a man could want out of life. A perpetual bachelor whose one brief marriage ended many moons ago,
Kingman is stunned to learn that a long-forgotten youthful fling had more permanent consequences than he ever anticipated. Now, just as his career is set to blow up bigger than ever, this perpetual bachelor learns that he has a seven-year-old daughter named Peyton (Madison Pettis). So how does a lifelong jock who's used to partying all night and dropping 20-yard bombs all day adjust to a life of ballet classes, Barbie dolls, and afternoon play dates? Whatever road he chooses to take, it certainly won't be easy, especially since his ruthless, goal-oriented agent, Stella (Kyra Sedgwick), would rather see her client scoring touchdowns than cementing familial bonds. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
It's what I like to call an amnesia movie. Six months from now, if someone asks me about The Game Plan, I'll be hard-pressed to remember what it's about or who's in it.
Apart from a heart-tugging plot twist, some lesson learning and more random football talk, that's about it. Oh, except for the scene in which Kyra Sedgwick farts. Be sure to update your resume, Kyra.
Johnson's amiable performance makes this watchable for the target audience; namely sporty daddies and spoiled little girls primed to assimilate their lives into the Disney brand.
Despite its almost painfully silly predictability, this film somehow manages to be engaging and rather enjoyable, thanks mainly to The Rock's on-screen charisma.
It's dumb but you know exactly what you are getting into from the very beginning... so you only have yourself to blame if you watch this and feel ripped off.
This fish-out-of-water comedy revolves around the shopworn storyline featuring an exasperated adult driven batty by the sudden onset of the responsibility of having to be a parent.
THE GAME PLAN was a very sad movie. And when I say that it was very sad, I mean the fact that it was made is sad. It's such an awful "family" take on a football film, and it could have been so great...if 97% of it was cut out.
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