The Game Plan
Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: September 28, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
44
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
13
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen Johnson
The two best things about this logic-challenged, predictable and overlong (110 minutes!) film are The Rock's performance - surely he's one of the more likable people in the movies, and here he handles physical sight gags with aplomb; and the parallel disciplines of football and ballet, which provide a way for father and daughter to understand each other. Read full review
70
The New York TimesMatt Zoller Seitz
The movie is so likable that it glides over its many plot holes... The film’s direction, by Andy Fickman, is raucous but never crass, and the affable Mr. Johnson is committed to every moment.
67
Austin ChronicleJosh Rosenblatt
Like some sentimental fool, I allowed Johnson’s good-hearted buffoonery and Pettis’ overpowering sweetness and Millard and Price’s unwavering belief in the healing power of love to get the better of my senses and travel straight passed my brain to my heart. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy Burr
It's painless, especially if you have a small child in tow, and the Rock, bless his heart, acts like it's all new to him. The star should do more comedy - he's got quick reflexes and a face that lends itself to cartoon double takes, and he's not afraid to look completely ridiculous. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
A throwback to the days when Disney would recruit second- and third-tier stars to stroll through indifferently written, modestly produced comic fluff that served as family entertainment. Read full review
60
VarietyJoe Leydon
Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is the most valuable player here, revealing impressive comic chops and megawatt charisma even while serving as a human punchline for many of the pic's predictable sight gags. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesGene Seymour
Pettis is adorable, but she pushes the cuteness dial well past one's tolerance level. Still, if you've got small ones yourself, they'll probably enjoy the messes Joe and Peyton make together. They may also wonder why it takes so long for all the movie's messes to get cleaned up. Read full review
60
Film ThreatStina Chyn
An amusing and timely distraction. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyScott Brown
Having tamed one muscled man-child (Vin Diesel in The Pacifier), Disney sets its sights on The Rock. He preens winningly in The Game Plan. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyLuke Y. Thompson
Johnson’s a good actor, but it would take the ghost of Laurence Olivier to convince us that a grown man could legitimately fall for this brat. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Game Plan plays like an average sitcom that drags on. This sort of film shouldn't clock in at more than 90 minutes. There are worse ways to spend a few hours, but expect more predictability than laughs in this good-hearted, mindless entertainment. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneGeoff Berkshire
If Steve Martin (“Cheaper by the Dozen”) and Eddie Murphy (“Daddy Day Care”) can’t make these PG-rated assembly-line comedies any fun, what chance does The Rock have? Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
At least The Game Plan does have Johnson, whose innate charisma will make it easier for adult viewers to endure the film without ruing the decision to make a family outing to the multiplex. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
All that charm is wasted in careless scenes that don't make much sense and the whole thing feels slapped to together with chewing gum and spit. Read full review
50
Washington PostMike Mayo
Follows familiar formulas and characters, both brightened by a bit of wit and good performances from the two leads. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
It's a squeaky clean pre-John Hughes, pre-Farrelly brothers throwback to an era where the words "Disney film" meant something: a movie free of crotch slams, gross-out gags, and tittery innuendo. Read full review
40
EmpireSimon Braund
Even The Rock's immense charisma cannot save this predicatable fare. Read full review
38
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Director Andy Fickman seems to have thrown everything into this artificial comedy, in the hopes that something might stick. Almost nothing does. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
The Game Plan, created as a vehicle for Johnson, is a family comedy heavy on syrup and low on laughs. Read full review
25
New York PostKyle Smith
Apart from a heart-tugging plot twist, some lesson learning and more random football talk ("no more buttonhooks in the kitchen"), that's about it. Oh, except for the scene in which Kyra Sedgwick - who plays Joe's agent - farts. Be sure to update your résumé, Kyra. Read full review
25
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
It's a complete by-the-numbers daddy-day-care movie that doesn't have a genuinely enchanting moment or shred of inspiration in its overlong running time. Read full review
25
Portland OregonianStaff (Not credited)
Kyra Sedgwick is turned into a caricature of a sports agent. "NYPD Blue" grad Gordon Clapp gets one line of dialogue. And Morris Chestnut is pushed out to make room for one more "ain't she cute" moment. Read full review
10
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
Almost every note in this insipid comedy is strident or false, from the child's prodigious talent for deception to the jock's chaperoning her and her classmates at a Corolle doll boutique. Read full review
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