the game plan movie review

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Parents' guide to, the game plan.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 15 Reviews
• Kids Say 27 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Heather Boerner , based on child development research. How do we rate?

The Rock scores in cute (if predictable) comedy.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Game Plan is a cute family comedy that features football violence and pratfalls. Lots of people, including young girls, fall and only get minor injuries, and a parent's death is addressed. Peyton runs away to find her father and ends up in some very mildly perilous situations …

Why Age 6+?

Lots of brands and products are visible or mentioned in the film, including Chan

Adults drink at a party, but they don't appear drunk. Peyton shows she knows wha

Lots of football-related roughness, including sacks, tackles, and close-up shots

Stella kisses a man when her team wins. Joe spends many scenes shirtless and lif

Any Positive Content?

Peyton runs away from home and lies to Karen and Joe. Stella schemes to use Peyt

Products & Purchases

Lots of brands and products are visible or mentioned in the film, including Chanel, ESPN, Cold Stone Creamery, Jell-O, iPods, the Bedazzler, BlackBerry, Dunkin Donuts, Nike, Dasani water, a Sidekick cell phone, and Cingular wireless. And, of course, shots of the Disney Channel and popular Disney shows like Hannah Montana are featured.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Adults drink at a party, but they don't appear drunk. Peyton shows she knows what a margarita is.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

Lots of football-related roughness, including sacks, tackles, and close-up shots of Joe being taken down. Joe breaks a rib and hurts his shoulder. Joe slaps another player and accidentally bumps into dancers, knocking them down and dropping others.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Stella kisses a man when her team wins. Joe spends many scenes shirtless and lifting weights.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Peyton runs away from home and lies to Karen and Joe. Stella schemes to use Peyton for publicity. Joe forgets Peyton in a club. Joe is initially selfish but eventually learns to share and think of others first -- a great lesson for kids.

Parents need to know that The Game Plan is a cute family comedy that features football violence and pratfalls. Lots of people, including young girls, fall and only get minor injuries, and a parent's death is addressed. Peyton runs away to find her father and ends up in some very mildly perilous situations (being left alone at a club, etc.). It's worth noting that although the film makes fun of the insane commercialism of football, it also mentions more than a dozen products, and plugs the Disney Channel and Elvis movies. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (15)
• Kids say (27)

Based on 15 parent reviews

Weird values

This was a disappointment, what's the story.

In THE GAME PLAN, NFL star Joe Kingman ( Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ) thinks a lot of himself. He calls himself "the king," proudly displays his collection of trophies, and works hard to make sure everyone else loves him, too. He's also on the verge of having the biggest year in his career. As quarterback for the (fictional) Boston Rebels, he could take his team all the way to the championships this year. But when adorably doe-eyed and curly-haired Peyton ( Madison Pettis ) shows up at Joe's door announcing she's his daughter, Joe is thrust into a new role -- fatherhood. For a month, he has to figure out how to be a dad, prepare for the play-offs, and defend his way of life. But when Peyton gets seriously sick and returns home, can Joe go back to his playboy life? Does he even want to?

Is It Any Good?

What Disney always does well -- and what it does well here again -- is to create a world of safe adults in which kids can have their adventures. Peyton may have snuck away from home, but she's surrounded by mythic football players -- giant, harmless teddy bears whose worst qualities is their penchant for playing practical jokes on each other. The other thing Disney does perfectly in The Game Plan is squeeze every last bit of cute from every scene. The Rock clearly has fun with all of his character's funny faces, funny voices, and tantrums -- and so does the audience. There's so much that's genuinely adorable in this film that it's easy to overlook small problems like the predictable storyline and Pettis' limited acting abilities.

What's harder to forgive is the frequent product placement. The Game Plan pokes fun at athletes who all but plaster brands on their jerseys, but then it manages to showcase more than a dozen products. And then there's the nearly two-hour running time, which may make young kids a little fidgety. Still, this is a film with a great message. Joe learns to share -- share success, share his house, share his heart. And what child doesn't need to learn that lesson?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about why kids want to see The Game Plan -- because of the story, or because of Disney's marketing campaign? What usually makes you want to see a movie?

Families can also discuss the importance of telling the truth and being generous. Why does Joe feel differently about his game after spending time with Peyton? And, parents, remind kids about why they need to stay with safe adults and not run off on their own, as Peyton does.

Movie Details

• In theaters : September 27, 2007
• On DVD or streaming : January 22, 2008
• Cast : Dwayne The Rock Johnson , Kyra Sedgwick , Madison Pettis
• Director : Andy Fickman
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Walt Disney Pictures
• Genre : Family and Kids
• Topics : Sports and Martial Arts
• Run time : 115 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG
• MPAA explanation : some mild thematic elements.
• Last updated : July 19, 2024

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Movie Review | 'The Game Plan'

Quarterback With a Parenting Knack

By Matt Zoller Seitz

• Sept. 28, 2007

There’s nothing surprising about “The Game Plan,” in which a quarterback named Joe Kingman, played by Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, learns to love the young daughter, Peyton (Madison Pettis), he never knew he had. But the movie is so likable that it glides over its many plot holes (including the fishy explanation of why Joe never knew about Peyton, and an 11th-hour revelation by the girl that’s even less persuasive). The film’s direction, by Andy Fickman, is raucous but never crass, and the affable Mr. Johnson is committed to every moment.

The screenplay, by Nichole Millard and Kathryn Price, establishes Joe as a man-boy who talks about himself in the third person and has a separate room for his trophies. Peyton puts a tutu on his bulldog, switches his television to a horse program during the final seconds of an N.B.A. game and insists on being enrolled in a ballet class.

The class yields a hint of romance for Joe (with Peyton’s elegant, tough teacher, played by Roselyn Sanchez). And it lets Mr. Fickman stage some lively sequences, including an endearing montage that cuts between ballet and football practice, and a dance recital in which Joe, who’s been pressed into service as a tree, plays his role with such sincerity that he brings his burly teammates in the audience to tears.

“The Game Plan” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested) for some mild thematic elements.

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The Game Plan Reviews

Boasts enough comedy to get by, ensuring reasonable entertainment for its target audience.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Nov 24, 2020

There are moments where "The Game Plan" works, mostly involving Johnson, but for the most part, this is a forgettable film that won't even matter come October.

Full Review | Nov 21, 2019

In many ways, The Game Plan is really just a big-budget, feature-film version of a Disney Channel Original Movie.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 3, 2014

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Feb 18, 2012

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 18, 2011

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 17, 2011

The Rock scores in cute (if predictable) comedy.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 18, 2010

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 18, 2008

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 21, 2008

A barf-inducer. A hurl-promoter. A projectile-vomit-stimulator.

Full Review | Original Score: 0/5 | Mar 7, 2008

Somebody give Dwayne Johnson a decent role, please. Sure this is relatively inoffensive, but he's a great screen presence and deserves better.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Mar 7, 2008

Despite its cheesy story, The Game Plan has one major trump card: The Rock is actually quite good.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 7, 2008

Johnson's amiable performance makes this watchable for the target audience; namely sporty daddies and spoiled little girls primed to assimilate their lives into the Disney brand.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/6 | Mar 7, 2008

Even The Rock's immense charisma cannot save this predicatable fare.

Watchable comedy that manages to overcome its formulaic plot and cliche-laden script, largely thanks to Johnson being such a likeable comic actor.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 6, 2008

Despite its almost painfully silly predictability, this film somehow manages to be engaging and rather enjoyable, thanks mainly to The Rock's on-screen charisma.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 21, 2008

...it ultimately seems unlikely that the movie will appeal to viewers outside of its target demographic (ie pre-pubescent tots).

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Feb 4, 2008

The Game Plan makes The Pacifier look like No Country for Old Men.

Full Review | Original Score: 0.5/4 | Jan 24, 2008

Formulaic, but watchable.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 23, 2008

maudlin and manipulative

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jan 20, 2008

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

The Game Plan

An NFL quarterback living the bachelor lifestyle discovers that he has an 8-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. An NFL quarterback living the bachelor lifestyle discovers that he has an 8-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. An NFL quarterback living the bachelor lifestyle discovers that he has an 8-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

• Andy Fickman
• Nichole Millard
• Kathryn Price
• Audrey Wells
• Dwayne Johnson
• Kyra Sedgwick
• Madison Pettis
• 105 User reviews
• 113 Critic reviews
• 44 Metascore
• 4 nominations

Top cast 99+

• Joe Kingman
• (as Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson)

• Stella Peck

• Peyton Kelly

• Monique Vasquez

• Travis Sanders

• Kyle Cooper

• Jamal Webber

• Clarence Monroe

• Karen Kelly

• Coach Mark Maddox

• Samuel Blake, Jr.

• Larry the Doorman

• Nanny Cindy

• Marv Albert

• Boomer Esiason
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Dwayne Johnson said he came up with the idea for his character to be such a huge Elvis Presley fan, and suggested the idea to the writers, who loved it and added it to the script. Johnson later said that when they asked how he came up with the idea, Johnson responded that he is Elvis' biggest fan, and much of the Elvis memorabilia his character owns actually belongs to Johnson.
• Goofs The scene where the camera pans the stadium about 3/4 of the way through the film looks like a scale model with a fake background.

Joe Kingman : I have an answer to your question, P. Win or lose today, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me.

• Crazy credits During the closing credits, the cast sings karaoke to "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley .
• Connections Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford/King of California/Good Luck Chuck/Into the Wild/Sydney White (2007)
• Soundtracks Rubberneckin' Written by Dory Jones and Bunny Warren Performed by Elvis Presley Courtesy of The RCA Records Label By arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User reviews 105

• Sep 29, 2007
• How long is The Game Plan? Powered by Alexa
• September 28, 2007 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Stream The Game Plan officially on Disney+ Hotstar Indonesia
• Kế Hoạch Làm Bố
• Gillette Stadium - One Patriot Place, Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA
• Walt Disney Pictures
• Mayhem Pictures
• Monkey Dance Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $22,000,000 (estimated)
• $90,648,202
• $22,950,971
• Sep 30, 2007
• $147,880,543

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 50 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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