‘Game Plan’ better fit for Disney channel

With an ego the size of several football fields and a lifestyle to match, Joe hasn’t a worry in the world. That is until a precocious eight-year-old named Peyton (Madison Pettis) shows up on his penthouse doorstep and announces she’s the daughter he never knew he had.

There seems to be a certain career path that muscle-bound heavies take. First, they come onto the scene as a villain, as Arnold Schwarzenegger did in The Terminator. Then, they step up to the action hero, as Schwarzenegger did with films like Commando. Then, they do the fish-out-of-water family comedy, as Schwarzenegger did with Kindergarten Cop.

The Rock emerged from the WWE to be the villain in The Mummy Returns, then he became the action hero. Now it’s his time to do the family comedy with The Game Plan.

In the movie, Kingman is one of the more popular characters in professional football. He’s at the top of his career, hoping to finally go to the championship game. However, one day a distraction lands on his doorstep, literally.

When Peyton arrives, Joe’s life is swept into chaos. He tries to maintain his hip, popular bachelor image, while taking care of his newly found daughter over the next few weeks. This puts a strain on his game as well as his personal life. However, Peyton inevitably has a heart of gold and shows him the joys of parenting.

Walt Disney Studios has a grand tradition of both family films and inspirational sports movies. While the movie goes more for the family than the sports crowd, it does offer a little something for everyone.

In short, the dads in the family arena are going to cringe throughout the movie as they might have done during High School Musical 2.

Still, it would be best to consider this as a big screen version of something made for the Disney, only with The Rock instead of Zac Efron.

If you are into this sort of family fare, you will probably really enjoy the film. On the other hand, if you’re waiting with baited breath for the next Saw film, you might want to pass.

Over the past few years, the Rock has been hit-and-miss with his films. For every Gridiron Gang, there’s a Rundown. He hasn’t become as big as Schwarzenegger (figuratively, at least), but he’s probably the only pumped-up action star out there that comes close to his charisma.

Having seen The Rock do some entertaining diversions from his standard character, most notably a hilarious bit part in Be Cool, it’s clear the guy has talent beyond being able to throw a football or hit a guy in the back of the head with a folding chair. He brings a lot of heart to this film.

The only real weak link in the film is Roselyn Sanchez as Peyton’s ballet teacher Monique, and Joe’s love interest. As appealing as Sanchez is to watch on screen, her character is dull and flat, even if she is not.

The rest of the cast works as well. Young Madison Pettis, who is seen regularly on the Disney Channel’s Corey in the House, gives a more polished performance than she does on television. She’s got a career ahead of her as long as she doesn’t become obnoxious like Raven or psychotic like Lindsay Lohan.