Some live-action Disney movies, such as “”Remember the Titans”” and “”Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,”” are high quality and enjoyable for audiences of all ages.
Most of them, including the studio’s latest film, “”The Game Plan,”” are mediocre and a waste of time for anyone that is not a child or a senior citizen.
For starters, the film contains not just one, but three stock plot themes: “”fish out of water,”” “”really cute kid warms heart of older character “” and, possibly the most common Disney plot of all time, “”kid with an unstable family life.””
Dwayne “”The Rock”” Johnson plays Joe Kingman, a self-centered quarterback of a fictional football team. The poster child for narcissistic jerks everywhere, Joe is forced to put an end to his luxurious lifestyle when his previously undiscovered daughter, Peyton (Madison Pettis), appears on his doorstep.
The majority of the movie is dedicated to showing the audience how adorable and sassy Peyton is, and how she uses this combination to teach her immature father some very important life lessons. To young Pettis’ credit, she does do a good job in the role, as do most young starlings that Disney recruits. Unfortunately, they end up in rehab about 10 years into their careers.
The Rock shows that he is more than a burly wrestler by playing the very challenging role of a …burly football player. Sarcasm aside, he is convincing as both an egocentric bastard and a lovable father figure, which is not an easy combination to manage.
There isn’t really anything bad about “”The Game Plan,”” as far as family films go. It’s got some amusing parts, a story that packs a decent amount of emotional punch and a fair amount of very cool-looking stop-motion football scenes.
On the other hand, there isn’t really anything good about it, either. The movie is simply another failed attempt by Disney to try and prove that it can actually make a good movie without Pixar’s help. “”The Game Plan”” doesn’t bring anything new to the table, and for a movie to be considered good, it must first be original and innovative.
Most of the comedy comes from the stereotypical “”dumb jock”” football players, and the clever little retorts Peyton comes up with to counter her dad’s spoiled-brat logic. The casting in the film was done well, though; the Rock and Pettis have solid chemistry/ The film is far more entertaining when the two are in scenes together, creating an awkward but sweet mix of brawn and brains.
“”The Game Plan”” is a solid choice for babysitters, moms, hardcore fans of The Rock and people who have a soft spot for father-daughter plotlines. If you don’t fall into one of these categories, it’s definitely in your best interests to skip “”The Game Plan”” and go see something else this weekend, such as “”The Kingdom”” or the Owen Wilson indie “”The Darjeeling Limited.””