Review: The Game Plan

The Game Plan

Starring: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Madison Pettis, Kyra Sedgwick

Directed by: Andy Fickman (She's the Man)

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Cheesy. Disney. Sell-out. That's what some of you think when you see that former badass pro wrestler Dwayne Johnson has signed a Disney contract and is laughing all the way to the bank. It's not so black and white though. Johnson is the father of who I assume can only be one of the most adorable, and badass, six year olds on the planet. The guy wants to act, but he wants to make movies that his little girl can watch too. Work/Life balance? Check.

The Game Plan is the story of an NFL player, Joe "The King" Kingman, who opens the door to a daughter he didn't even know existed. He's selfish and self-obsessed and his daughter is ready to shake up his life.

Ok so cheesy idea! It's Disney, so it's always going to have that. Surprisingly, most of The Game Plan is more touching than tacky. One scene might make you cringe but the rest is honest, heartfelt and it stands out as better than average.

I've been a fan of The Rock ever since his wrestling days. In fact, his exit from the male soap opera made me quit watching. I watch his movies now instead. I am both pleased and surprised that he is growing as an actor and has even slimmed down his muscle mass to appear more realistic looking. Does that make sense? Probably not. Despite this, he does spend half the movie with his shirt off.

OH KAY...back to the movie. Dwayne Johnson can act. In real life, he is a very sweet man who is totally devoted to his family (even though he has now split with his wife, he calls her his best friend and insists they are raising their daughter together as a team). On the big screen, he translates these feelings over with ease in this movie. One scene, where he cries, is probably the most gut wrenching scene in the movie.

Another interesting fact about the movie:

From news.com.au...In The Game Plan, viewers get to witness the Elvis-loving footballer serenade Peyton with The King's tune Are You Lonesome Tonight. "I am a big fan of Elvis and to add that layer to the character, I thought it would be fun, so I suggested it," Johnson says.
"For me it was cool singing the song of my favourite singer/songwriter and it's one of my favourite love songs. It was perfect."

So add singing to that list. While the performance indicates he won't be releasing an album anytime soon, it's still very sweet and pleasant to watch.

Go out to see The Game Plan, and take kids! I watched this in a cinema full of older children and they were all captivated. If you're Australian and worried about the sport being American Gridiron, don't. If they do have any questions after the movie, it might make a fun little research project you could do together. Google "NFL".

I continue to be a fan of Dwayne Johnson and am ecstatic to see him in this genre. He is reminding me more and more of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not in his abilities as an actor, but in the direction that legendary muscle man's career went. However, I'd rather see The Rock stick to movies than politics. Movies are so much more fun!

The Game Plan scores 3.5/5 Superstars

Movie Minute

Does this dirty jumpsuit make me look fat? Be honest!

Well it's almost Halloween. I'm going to do a post tomorrow about my top 5 scary movies. What could my #1 be? You won't believe it! Totally not what you'd expect! I did a really fun radio segment on my alternative top 5...that is to say a few edits because it has to have mass appeal (most popular, etc etc). I will try to post that too if I have time. I still get so excited about Halloween even though it's hardly celebrated here in Australia. (I'm an American living Down Under for those who haven't guessed yet)

Aleisha's in the middle

My comedian/tv producer friend Aleisha went to the Arias (Aussie Music Awards) and you can read about it HERE. Not fair! She did meet movie related people and was sitting not too far away from Nicole Kidman who was there with Keith Urban. She met one of my fave Aussie film critics, Richard Wilkins. Go read her blog and live vicariously like I do!

I finally saw WAITRESS after waiting for freakin' ever. UGH I love living in Australia but the waiting on movies is BS. Yes, yes I could illegaly download but it always feels dirty when I watch pirated things. (Ignore near perfect copy of Die Hard 4 given to me by a friend who shall remain nameless...Bruce is my crack ok!!!) So Waitress was great. I normally despise the comedy/drama but this one was a winner. Creepy about writer/directory/star Adrienne Shelly who was murdered by an illegal immigrant working construction near her apartment, during filming. It didn't curse the film yet star Keri Russel can't seem to get over the incident, despite the film's critical success. Imagine all the great things Adrienne Shelly could have done in her life...truly a tragedy. Why can't that happen to Paris Hilton instead? (Yes, I'm the devil)

Next week we get 30 Days of Night...which I hear is a bit of a bore despite the incredibly good idea. I'll make my own decision on that thank you!

Finally, The Game Plan is out this week at my local cinema. YES some new Rock action! I don't care if it's a fluffy family movie, I am SO THERE!

ps My greatest interview to date is coming up this Friday. Who is it with? Well you'll just have to keep checking my blog to find out!!! Here's a hint...Pablo Francisco likes him and he talks about Summer...a lot!

TRAILER: The Game Plan

The Game Plan made heaps of cash in the US.

Americans love the Rock.

Bring the Rock to Australia already!

Watch the trailer. It's so cheesy it's just plain awesome.