KEY POINTS:
Herald Rating: * *
Cast: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Madison Pettis, Kyra Sedgwick, Roselyn Sanchez
Director: Andy Fickman
Running time: 110 mins
Rating: G
Screening: SkyCity, Hoyts and Berkeley
Verdict: A new spin on an old gag, but it should keep the kids happy.
The game plan for this overly sweet family comedy from Disney is pretty simple: keep it cute, upbeat and predictable.
You'd be forgiven for thinking you've seen this film before. It's not the first time a male with a muscular physique has suddenly become responsible for a kid they have no idea how to look after. Arnie did it in Kindergarten Cop, Vin Diesel did it in The Pacifier, and in The Game Plan, it's ex pro-wrestler turned actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's turn to take on the role of hard man turned caregiver.
As the self-centred superstar quarterback for football team the Boston Rebels, Joe Kingman is living the dream. He's rich, famous and the life of the party, but that's turned upside down when 8-year-old Peyton (newcomer Pettis) turns up on his doorstep declaring she is his daughter.
The only person more shocked by this addition to Kingman's life is his hard-nosed agent (Kyra Sedgwick), and there are lots of misadventures as Kingman realises that there is more to life than football and goes from shallow bachelor to doting dad.
This film is an interesting exercise in keeping everyone happy. There's ballet for the girls, football for the boys, plenty of shots of The Rock without his shirt on for the mums, and a hot ballet teacher for the dads. It relies on being cute and although Johnson should be applauded for having fun with the role, the story is too contrived and predictable to take to heart.
