Amazon.co.uk Review
"When you look at me, what do you see?" pontificates football star Joe Kingman, then provides the answer: "Greatness". Well, clearly an ego like that needs to be brought down to size--pint-size. The winning family comedy
The Game Plan has a whole lot going for it, including star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who is a natural comedic actor (and the camera loves him), and the young actress (Madison Pettis) who plays the daughter he didn't know he had, Peyton. The plot doesn't break much new ground, since many films have mined the territory of the self-indulgent child-adult who suddenly "inherits" a child (from
Three Men and a Baby to
Baby Boom to
Big Daddy to
Raising Helen). But thanks to the charismatic performance of Johnson, the film is winsome and uplifting. Johnson's comic timing and straight-man face are spot-on, as is his warm chemistry with the sweet-faced Pettis. Also giving notable performances are the lovely Roselyn Sanchez as Peyton's ballet teacher, and Kyra Sedgwick as Kingman's hard-nosed agent who's aghast at the appearance of an out-of-wedlock child. Children and adults can both enjoy the movie's warm-and-fuzzy moral of making family where you find it--or where it finds you. --
A.T. Hurley
Synopsis
A film that marks Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's first leading role in a family-friendly comedy,
The Game Plan finds the former wrestler starring as Joe Kingman, a popular NFL quarterback happily entrenched in a carefree single lifestyle. Kingman's world is turned upside-down, however, when a young girl named Peyton Kelly (Madison Pettis) appears from out of the blue, claiming to be his daughter from a brief former marriage. Reluctantly, Kingman must learn how to shake his self-absorption and become a father, leading to hijinks that involve the inevitable clash of macho-man and little-girl cultures.
Directed by Andy Fickman (She's The Man), this likable Disney movie is hoisted up by the muscular Johnson, who finally gets a chance to showcase his winning charm and impressive comic timing at length. Although Johnson is no stranger to portraying football players (see 2006's Gridiron Gang), The Game Plan is far lighter fare than his previous films, opening up at another door in his intriguing WWE-to-Hollywood career. The comedy also features an excellent supporting cast, most notably, the precocious Pettis, along with Morris Chestnut, who plays Kingman's thoughtful teammate Travis Sanders, and Kyra Sedgwick, on leave from her hard-hitting role in The Closer TV show as Kingman'’s workaholic agent. Nodding to Disney live-action comedies of yore while conveying a 21st-century sheen, The Game Plan hits all of its intended goals, making it one of 2007’s most enjoyable family movies. DVD Extras (all presented in Hi-Def) include the quirky "Chalk Talk": Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and director Andy Flickman give a unique commentary on the movie while drawing "Sports Booth" style graphics on the screen to highlight their filmmaking experience.
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