Movie reviews, production notes, and more! - "The Game Plan"

Movie Review: The Game Plan

Film Review By Scott Schueller, Tribune staff writer Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's fame was built on his professional wrestling career, raising "The People's Eyebrow," calling out posers and spouting his signature tagline: "Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?" These days, after muscle-flexing turns as an ancient Egyptian king and a tough small town sheriff, Johnson's being served up in "The Game Plan" as the most recent Disney-fied behemoth (see Vin Diesel, "The Pacifier"). It's the story of misogynistic professional quarterback Joe "The King" Kingman (Johnson), whose world turns upside down with the arrival of the daughter he didn't know about, Peyton (Madison Pettis). The King must balance the stresses of childcare with the demands of his team's playoff surge. The role poses an interesting challenge, and not only because QBs typically don't come with such over-muscled arms. As written, the King doesn't have the appeal to rally an audience or to sell the developing relationship at the heart of "The Game Plan." Without the audience's affection for the Rock, the film would flop from the lack of character and plot development. For example, the King accepts his daughter as being his own too easily (scoffing at a paternity test because ... read more Official Web Site: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/gameplan/ Back to main movie page Showing Today at: Click here for other showings