Starring: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Roselyn Sanchez, Kyra Sedgwick,
Morris Chestnut, Madison Pettis, Gordon Clapp, Kate Nauta, Paige Turco
Summary: A film that marks Dwayne "The Rock"
Johnson's first leading role in a family-friendly comedy, THE GAME PLAN finds
the former pro wrestler starring as Joe Kingman, a popular NFL quarterback
happily entrenched in a carefree single lifestyle. Kingman's world is turned
upside-down, however, when a young girl named Peyton Kelly (Madison Pettis)
appears from out of the blue, claiming to be his daughter from a brief former
marriage. Reluctantly, Kingman must learn how to shake his self-absorption and
become a father, leading to hijinks that involve the inevitable clash of
macho-man and little-girl cultures.
Directed by Andy Fickman (SHE'S THE MAN), this likable Disney movie is
hoisted up by the muscular Johnson, who finally gets a chance to showcase his
winking charm and impressive comic timing at length. Although Johnson is no
stranger to portraying football players (see 2006's GRIDIRON GANG), THE GAME
PLAN is far lighter fare than his previous films, opening up at another door in
his intriguing WWE-to-Hollywood career. The comedy also features an excellent
supporting cast, most notably, the precocious Pettis, along with Morris
Chestnut, who plays Kingman's thoughtful teammate Travis Sanders, and Kyra
Sedgwick, on leave from her hard-hitting role in THE CLOSER TV show as Kingman's
workaholic agent. Nodding to Disney live-action comedies of yore while conveying
a 21st-century sheen, THE GAME PLAN hits all of its intended goals, making it
one of 2007's most enjoyable family movies.
Extras: "Drafting
The Game Plan"
behind-the-scenes featurette,
"ESPN's SportsCenter: The
Rock Learns to Play QB,"
bloopers, deleted scenes,
more. ESPN's
SportsCenter
Exclusive: The King In
Search Of A Ring -
Stuart Scott Of ESPN
Hosts A Look At Joe
Kingman's Fictitious
Biography
Movie Spotlight
The Game Plan Release Date: September 28, 2007 Studio: Walt Disney Pictures Director: Andy Fickman Screenwriter: Nichole Millard, Kathryn Price Starring: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Roselyn Sanchez, Kyra Sedgwick,
Morris Chestnut, Madison Pettis, Gordon Clapp, Kate Nauta, Paige Turco Genre: Comedy MPAA Rating: PG (for some mild thematic elements) Official Website:
GamePlanmovie.com
Plot Summary: "The Game Plan" tells the story of rugged superstar
quarterback Joe Kingman (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), whose Boston-based team is
chasing a championship. A 'serial bachelor', Kingman is living the ultimate
fantasy: he's rich, famous and the life of the party. But this dream is suddenly
sacked for a loss when he discovers the 7-year-old daughter (newcomer Madison
Pettis) he never knew he had – the product of a last fling before parting years
ago with his young wife. Now, during the most important time in his career, he
must figure out how to juggle his parties, practices and dates with the newfound
ballet classes, bedtime stories and dolls that come with his daughter. Equally
perplexed is his hard-edged mega-agent, Stella (Kyra Sedgwick), herself without
a parental bone in her body. Despite the often hilarious misadventures that come
with being a new father, Joe discovers that's there's more to life than money,
endorsements and thousands of adoring fans: the love and care of one very
special small fan is the only thing that matters.
EN 5 Second Review:
Pure Disney magic. You get what you pay for and you can
take the whole family.
Johnson
strikes a winning balance of swagger, exasperation and sensitivity as
Joe Kingman, superstar quarterback Joe Leydon: Variety
Every bit as formulaic as its generic ad art suggests, "The
Game Plan" sticks close to the playbook for family-friendly laffers
about self-absorbed workaholics suddenly saddled with parental
responsibilities. Still, overworked formulas can prove mighty potent
with the right ingredient in the mix...more
Everyone
from you to the guy who brought the Rock his doughnuts in
the morning knows where this is headed, and the script
follows the route like a veteran wide receiver Scott Craven: Arizona Republic
The Rock, known for such action films as The Scorpion
King and Walking Tall, explores his softer side
in this tale of a self-obsessed star quarterback forced to
change his ways when the 8-year-old daughter he didn't know
existed shows up just before his first playoff game...more
Release Date: September 28, 2007
EN 5 Second Review:
Pure Disney magic. You get what you pay for and you can
take the whole family.
Everyone
from you to the guy who brought the Rock his doughnuts in
the morning knows where this is headed, and the script
follows the route like a veteran wide receiver