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Following his starring role in Gridiron Gang in 2006, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson once again heads to the gridiron in Disney’s The Game Plan. The Rock stars as Joe “The King” Kingman, quarterback for the Boston Rebels and world-renowned party animal. With the playoffs right around the corner, Kingman finally has a chance at that championship ring, and nothing can get in his way—except, maybe, for a little girl.
One January afternoon, precocious eight-year-old Peyton Kelly (Madison Pettis) shows up at Joe’s door, claiming to be his daughter. It seems that her mother—Joe’s ex-wife—had to leave suddenly on a very important month-long job in Africa, and Peyton didn’t have anywhere else to go. In no time at all, Joe’s life becomes a blur of ballet classes and BeDazzlers. Not only does it mess with his busy social schedule, but his team also starts worrying that taking care of a little girl will make him lose his focus—and the championship.
The Game Plan has everything you’ve come to expect from a Disney movie: comedy, drama, a feel-good ending—and, of course, a cute kid who seems to outsmart all the adults. The problem, though, is that every one of those classic elements is just a little bit overdone.
The Rock is still working hard on the whole acting thing—and, to his credit, there’s just something about him that you can’t help but love (even if you cheered against him while watching Wrestlemania years ago). But he’s just not quite there yet. He tends to be either too goofy or too intense, and it’s sometimes uncomfortable to watch. At least he fits the role, though—and he makes the football parts believable—so that’s a start.
At the same time, while Pettis is definitely a cute kid, her part wasn’t written well. Peyton is supposed to be lovable—and extremely smart—but her dialogue is often way too grown up for a young girl (even a really smart one). And the character often moves beyond “cute and precocious” to “sneaky and manipulative,” making her a little less lovable.
Of course, most of that stuff won’t really matter to kids. What matters is that Joe’s remote-controlled apartment is really cool—and so are the football scenes. And it doesn’t hurt that the kid in the movie seems smarter (and more grown up) than the big, goofy, bumbling dad. But while kids will enjoy it, adults will find it too corny at times and too sappy at others. It has a few fun moments, but, overall, The Game Plan is best left to the kids.
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