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The Game Plan
I'll admit it. I went into The Game Plan with low expectations. I expected to get not much more than
we've seen in previous movies from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. It's not as if I've disliked The Rock's
previous film efforts. I really believe that Gridiron Gang was his best performance and one of the better
movies I've seen in recent years as far as drama goes. It seems as if the movies The Rock does only go so far, limited by plot and story. I'm pleased to say that The Game Plan exceeded my expectations.
I was fortunate enough to get some advanced screening tickets for Tuesday, 9/25/07. three days before the films scheduled release. While I attend advanced previews fairly frequently, I rarely go to this type
of movie. that of the family fare variety. Getting the tickets, I informed my brother and plans were made
for me to go see the film with my mother and my 8 year old niece. Having her there made the movie for me. she's exactly in the target audience. She's also the same age as the character of Peyton, which is a great connection point for her as an audience member.
Madison Pettis, who portrays Peyton Kelly, was incredible on screen. Her natural charisma is almost
to the level of The Rock, which is really saying something. Dwayne Johnson's acting continues to
improve. I routinely find his characters to be "real." Nothing about his acting seems to be forced.
though a lot of what he does I am familiar with having seen much of his reactions, expressions, etc during
his days as a WWF/WWE wrestler. It's almost a bad thing that Southland Tales is coming out so soon after this film (November) as its bad reviews may tarnish the good this film does for The Rock. Added in to the cast is Roselyn Sanchez of TV's Without A Trace. She is continually one of the better parts of the show and is a great addition to the cast here.
The plot would seem to be fairly straightforward and something Hollywood has put out continually. Here's the catch about this movie, though: The Game Plan blends and combines two very distinct movie genres. and it does that well. Not once did I feel that we were being given the clichéd parts of similar movies. I expected to get a cross between Big Daddy and The Pacifier. Instead we get something that is equal parts Big Daddy with Johnson's Kingman learning about being a father and adapting to the role mixed with the best parts of The Longest Yard, in which the athlete with promise finally fulfills their destiny after being taught a life lesson.
Unlike Adam Sandler's Sonny in the aforementioned Big Daddy, Joe Kingman is simply a single man living a single mans life. He also happens to be one of the best quarterbacks in professional football as well as incredibly beloved by the city of Boston, where he plays for the Boston Rebels. It's established fairly quickly that Kingman is pretty full of himself and selfish both on and off the gridiron. Peyton comes
into Joe's life and explains that her mom, who is headed off to Africa for a month doing humanitarian
work, sent Peyton to Joe's house after she asked if she could meet her father. Peyton, at just 8 years
old, is cunning and savvy and incredibly intelligent. Peyton and Joe quickly clash, but it is evident from
the beginning that they are very much like one another. The two have ups and downs and we see their
misadventures. The film excels at creating situations that appeal to all the members of the audience. My
niece was literally on the edge of her seat during an elaborate ballet scene. She was also on the edge of
her seat during the football game that closed out the movie. While some older, jaded movie goers may deem the scene as "been there, seen that" I know that my niece, on edge of seat, eyes locked on the screen, truly anxious and hoping against hope that the Rebels would win the game. That she could experience that was gratifying to me.
So, yes, The Game Plan is a story about a man finding out he has a child, which we've seen. It's also a
sports movie about the big star overcoming himself to reach what he seems destined for which, again, we have seen before. It is both stories at the same time and done very well. The film is well paced and can seamlessly go from touching moment to laugh riot.
Overall, I'll give The Game Plan a B+. My only reason for this is, while I found nothing wrong with the
movie, it is also neither original nor groundbreaking. But it is entertaining, which is the best reason to
see a movie.
And now my niece has a movie poster of The Game Plan, a freebie given away by the studio/radio stations promoting the screening... and she's excited to be putting it on her bedroom wall tomorrow.
