Play the Game

Play the Game Photos

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Cast & Crew

Andy Griffith

Grandpa Joe

Paul Campbell

David Mitchell

Marla Sokoloff

Julie Larabee

Liz Sheridan

Edna Gordon

Doris Roberts

Rose Sherman

Clint Howard

Dick

Rance Howard

Mervin

Geoffrey Owens

Rob

Marc Fienberg

Director

Marc Fienberg

Screenwriter

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News & Interviews for Play the Game

Critics Consensus: Guess Halloween 2‘s Tomatometer!

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Critic Reviews for Play the Game

Audience Reviews for Play the Game

• Oct 12, 2010

  I really liked this movie!! Who knew that Andy Griffith was gonna turn out to be an hysterical old geezer?! The rest of the cast did a wonderful job, also. The whole thing had me clapping at the end (yeah, I know..I'm a dork!). But seriously, this was a fun, witty, romantic comedy and I would recommend it to anyone.
  

  Super Reviewer
• Jul 16, 2010

  Play the Game is about two playas. The first one is David (Paul Campbell), a sleazy car salesman who is your stereotypical man whore who knows all the moves, their counters and counters to said counters. So he will get shown up by a girl before the end of the film. The second player is Andy Griffith. Yeah, Sheriff Taylor. He starts out as your stereotypical old man, but by the end is the Ron Jeremy of the old folks home. It's role reversal, see? Get it? Let's be honest. The only audience for this film are people who are interested in seeing Andy Griffith talking about erections and having oral sex. No, it's not Thelma Lou, it's Seinfeld's mom. If you take that away this film is a badly written, acted, and directed film that is such a cliche it's putrid. But Andy Griffith dresses like P Diddy. Pure crap. Of course the use of Clint Howard as Andy's estranged son is of some importance.
  

  Super Reviewer
• Sep 03, 2009

  Play the Game is the type of movie for which you don't know what to expect. Very little publicity, a shaky premise about a grandfather-grandson relationship that seems implausible, and a cast that isn't quite a stellar -- or even a recognizable -- amalgamation of talent. David (Paul Mitchell) is a ladies' man of the most arrogant and calculating kind. When he comes across a girl he can't have so easily (Sokoloff), he goes into panic mode because his usual tricks aren't working. Meanwhile, his grandfather (Andy Griffith) is the lonely old man at the retirement home who is, as opposed to his grandchild, a wallflower in search of companionship. Now, each man (grandson/grand father) must help the other in order to help themselves achieve their goals of securing themselves a woman to be with. As it turns out, though, in playing the dangerous game of love, their roles suddenly become reversed and one is looking for long-term love, while the other is miraculously in need of instant gratification. You guess what happens next... The movie starts off quite shakily because of its preposterous plot and initial devises which are used to induce humor (including a horribly un-funny scene with grandpa at the club.) But the movie, slowly, manages to lose its uneasiness as the script begins to deliver some tender and genuinely funny moments via its patriarchal character; grandpa Andy Griffith. The film's execution is rather crude and choppy, and its soundtrack is incredibly sappy (with cues being brought in after almost every line of dialogue.) These erroroneous decisions often make the film seem like an after-school special or made-for-television movie that's supposed to teach you the value of family and being "tight." The film manages to overcome its sappy trappings thanks, single-handedly, to Andy Griffith and his earnest and endearing performance as the meek old man-turned sex maniac. Additionally, a plot twist seemingly thrown in during the final minutes was cute and made for a slightly interesting revisiting of earlier events that had transpired in the film; but was ultimately unnesessary. It really didn't pay off, considering the movie was one whose self-awareness was already well pronounced and still failed to completely rise above its own attempt at wittiness. Kudos for Griffith, though!
  

  Super Reviewer
• Aug 26, 2009

  Absolutely adorable comedy finds a young lothario trying to teach his lonely grandfather (Andy Griffith) how to pick up women, while pursuing one on his own that, for the first time, he may be in love with. Forget the young birds, its the octogenarian romantic comedy story that steals the show, with Griffith, Doris Roberts, and Liz Sheridan all in fine form.
  

  Super Reviewer