The Pacifier

Herald rating: * *

Well, it worked for Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop, but Vin Diesel might have played his hand a little early in his career by leaving the safe confines of the action genre and trying something new.

Diesel, who had already turned down the sequel to the The Fast and the Furious, turned down a second go at his action vehicle XXX to star in this comedy The Pacifier. It's a decision he may now be regretting.

Diesel is Navy Seal Shane Wolf, sent to suburban Los Angeles to protect the five Plummer kids after their scientist father is murdered. When their mother heads to Switzerland in search of the software her husband was working on, it's his job to protect the kids from the baddies trying to get their hands on the program.

The job is a little different from what Wolf expected. And basically he gets a crash course in dealing with difficult teens, baby's nappies and a forthright tween eager to know if her breasts will be as large as his buff chest one day.

Although ostensibly a family drama, The Pacifier could be a little dull for the whole family. The slapstick and poo jokes probably aren't cool enough for the teen market and are too repetitive for adults, but the young ones will love them.

Yes, the kids are cute and Diesel is in good shape, but the film just never takes off.

CAST: Vin Diesel
DIRECTOR: Adam Shankman
RUNNING TIME: 95 mins
RATING: PG (medium level violence)
SCREENING: Village, Hoyts and Berkeley Cinemas