The Game Plan
Directed by Andy Fickman
Starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Madison Pettis, Roselyn Sanchez, Kyra Sedgwick
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Available Jan. 22, 2008

Joe Kingman (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) is a great quarterback, he has an awesome apartment complete with mood lighting and the manly barrage of electronics, the model girlfriend who is as self-absorbed as he is, and the friendship (albeit a bit fickle because no one can truly be friends with a megalomaniac) of his starting team. So when the young Peyton Kelly (Madison Pettis) moves in with him when her mother voyages to Africa for a medical mission, Joe’s home and work are dramatically changed in this humorous and often touching family comedy.

The adorable, sassy, and precocious Peyton upsets Joe’s life from the onset. From changing his workout pep rally “˜Eye of the Tiger’-esque music to classical Mozart and Bach tunes we see the battle of wills begin. Like her Dad, Peyton talks a good game and she and Joe butt heads hilariously. One of the funniest positions Peyton puts Joe in involves her love of ballet. Naturally Joe finds a ballet studio and entreats the ballet instructor Monique Vasquez (Roselyn Sanchez) to accept Peyton, but little does he realize the cost of her admission is his complete parental involvement. From taking the entire dance class to the mall, to dancing in their recital — which of course his team finds out about and attends! — Joe’s immersion into the art and sport of dance furthers his and Peyton’s bond. There are many other comedic situations that Joe and Peyton get into like her poisoning him with home-baked cookies, causing his disgusting morning shake (complete with tuna, raw egg, milk, and fruit) to explode over both of them, and flooding his bathroom by using two containers of bubble bath.

The most important question that Peyton poses to Joe is answered at the end of this movie. When Peyton asked in the beginning of the movie “What is the best thing that has ever happened in your life” Joe could not answer. Football has always been the love of his life, it is what he does, what he breaths, and what he is. But, when Peyton has an allergic reaction and he encounters almost losing her, we see that his priorities have shifted. When he runs through the streets of Boston to get her to a hospital his only thoughts are saving the new everything in his life. He makes it to the hospital in time, but, the truth of Peyton’s trip to spend time with her father comes forth and everything Peyton has said is not the truth and Joe is then posed with losing Peyton forever. Joe’s development is all due to Peyton, he recognizes and embraces this, and his tragic flaws are replaced with the greatest asset, true love. As hokey as that sounds, the movie is far from it.

I loved this movie. It was endearing enough, funny enough, and just enough football to not drive us who lack the “Grrr, I love football and grown men running and hitting each other like a ton of bricks.” I would watch this DVD again and again. If you don’t buy it, at least rent it!

DVD Bonus Features

Deleted Scenes

There are nine deleted scenes available, all with intros by the director. Oftentimes when I look at deleted scenes I can honestly see why they never got past the cutting room floor. But there is one particular scene I wish the director had added titled “Peyton’s Sharing Lesson” (scene five). In this scene Peyton teaches the football team with the help of the team coach that “By sharing you both win.” It is a short and very cute snippet and helps to further portray the selfish playing style of Joe. In true Disney fashion, we are taught a moral lesson and are given a side chuckle as the coach refers to the football team as “children” and credits Peyton’s smart words by saying “you must have a very smart mother.”

Bloopers with Marv Albert

I love bloopers, and I’m sure we all do in that strange voyeur way since we get to see the scenes that were flubbed. In this bonus feature the bloopers are presented by Marv Albert in categories like “Fun with Props,” “Best Attempts,” “Forgetfuls,” “Fun with Food,” and “Kids & Dogs.” The bloopers were presented concisely and the only problem with them is that I wish there were more.

Drafting The Game Plan

Okay, I get the constant football references because this IS a football movie. But, it literally took me 2 minutes of watching this feature to deduce what it was. In this bonus, we learn how the screenplay came to fruition, how “The Rock” approached the producers with his desire to work with them because of his like of their previous work (The Rookie, Miracle), working with the director, Peyton’s casting and work ethic, and casting the extras for the football sequences. It’s interesting to note that the football players are all semi-pro and they did a two-week-long training camp for the movie (they also created a play book! — art imitating life at its most consistent).

ESPN’s Sportscenter: The Rock Learns to Play QB

Presented by Stuart Scott, an anchor for ESPN’s Sportscenter, Disney has gone all out in this feature because it actually appears as a segment from Sportscenter. I’ll admit, I am not the football maven and Sportscenter does not reside in my TiVo. So knowing my limitations, I watched a few episodes of it on ESPN. I must be honest when I say that this feature is the best out of the many offered. It is well edited, short, concise, and highlights why The Rock successfully pulled off playing a quarterback. Apparently, not everyone has the spirit (let alone the body) to fully comprehend the leadership qualities someone needs to play this position.

ESPN’s Sportscenter DVD/BLU-RAY Exclusive: The King in Search of a Ring

A full ESPN segment about Joe Kingman and his greatness are presented here. This highlight reel extols the magnitude of his game, but, also explains why the championship ring evades him. Apparently it is not his fault but the rest of his teammates. He is even credited by his wide receiver Travis Sanders (Morris Chestnut) who said “he threw a pass 70 yards and caught it.”