Football meets Father
Imagine Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in a leotard dancing as a ballerina. A sight that many (including myself) thought they would probably never see. This noteworthy vision can be found in Andy Fickman’s 2007 film The Game Plan. The movie is a light-hearted motion picture that portrays the forming of a bond between a daughter and a father. The fabulous film features great cinematography, spectacular acting, perfect musical choices, and a deep underlying theme.
Bachelor and football star, Joe Kingman (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), has the life many people desire. Kingman lives in an extremely modern and expensive apartment with a $40,000 sofa — not very kid-friendly, but that didn’t matter because he was living his ideal life all alone. The only things Joe Kingman seems to care about are himself and football…until one day, all of that changes. A little eight-year-old girl knocks on Joe’s door claiming to be his daughter — major plot twist! How could a self-centered professional football player suddenly become a father with no warning?
Peyton and Joe‘s relationship starts off a little rocky. Joe has no idea how to raise an eight-year-old. His comedic “parenting” style includes allowing Peyton to sit in the passenger seat of his two-seater Mercedes-Benz with a football helmet to protect her, forgetting her at a bar (only to remember her when he is driving away and “My Girl” by The Temptations comes on the radio), and forgetting her at ballet lessons.
Over time, Peyton and Joe begin to form a very special bond, despite their differences. For example, when they workout together they argue over the stereo. Peyton likes to listen to Bach and Mozart, whereas Joe likes to listen to Rock and Roll to get pumped up. They argue over the television as well when Peyton records Hannah Montana over Joe’s basketball game he was trying to watch with his football friends. Even Joe’s friends notice changes in Joe’s attitude and personality. He even began mimicking Peyton’s mannerisms like wiping food off of his friend’s face with his thumb. Joe develops a romantic connection with Peyton’s ballet teacher Monique (Roselyn Sanchez), and he ends up dancing in the ballet recital (here is when the audience sees “The Rock” dancing ballet).
Perfection: the only word to describe Andy Fickman’s casting choices for The Game Plan. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is the picture-perfect man for the role. He has the stature to make one believe that he is a professional football quarterback, and he has that “tough guy” aspect to him that makes it comedic to see him dancing ballet. Madison Pettis also has that special feature to her that makes an audience suspend their disbelief and think she is truly the daughter of a professional football player. For such a young age, nine years old, she is an incredible actor — even better and more believable than some adult actors. Her pretty, long, curly hair and big, brown eyes love the camera. She has the cuteness capacity to make the audience love her even when she is devious (like pretending to be allergic to dogs when Joe is on a date to get out of the babysitter). Not to mention, Johnson and Pettis actually look quite a lot alike, which makes it easier for the audience to suspend their disbelief that they are a real father-daughter duo.
A legendary aspect to The Game Plan that is sure to earn the film recognition is the music. Joe is known as “The King” (derived from his last name, Kingman) to his fans, so he is fairly obsessed with Elvis. Throughout the film, they play exciting and electrifying Elvis Presley songs, like “Burning Love,” “Rubbernecking’,” and “Jailhouse Rock” to name a few. It’s impossible to sit still when a song like Rubberneckin’ is playing…it is one of those songs that just makes you want to at least tap your feet to the beat. Not only does the film feature fan-favorite Elvis “oldies,” but the sound designers also incorporated well known songs like “My Girl” by The Temptations (as stated earlier), “Do You Believe in Magic” by The Lovin’ Spoonful, and “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That” by Robert Randolph and The Family Band. The music played fits each scene perfectly. During the intense scenes, intense music is played; during “fun” scenes, Elvis is played; and during sad scenes (yes, there are sad parts), quiet, piano sounds are played.
The cinematography in the film is intense and dramatic. The very beginning scene shows life through the eyes of Joe Kingman. We don’t see him for the first few minutes, but we see his apartment and how lavish his lifestyle is. This completely adds to the dramatic effect when we finally see Kingman when he is doing pull-ups. Without any words, we were able to get a sense of what Joe does, what he cares about, and how football is his number one priority. Another groundbreaking filming effect was when Joe was learning ballet. The film incorporated an exciting scene comparing how football and ballet is similar. The filming was excellent. The view went back and forth between the football players and the ballerinas with the song “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra playing in the background — the perfect song that fits both ballet and football.
Andy Fickman has a wide variety of film beneath his belt. The Game Plan is honestly nothing like his other films, but if I had to choose one I would say She’s The Man is the most similar solely because they both have powerful and energetic music with the incorporation of sports. In all of Fickman’s films, however, there are hilarious elements, and he is amazing at casting his actors. He has a vision and he completely rolls with it and delivers the perfect film every time. Some directors don’t have that ability. A movie that always comes to mind that I’ve always wished had a different actress is Julie Anne Robinson’s The Last Song. I think just about any actress could have played the role of Ronnie Miller better than Miley Cyrus. Fickman’s films are always ideally casted, and never leave the audience saying “I wish someone else would have played that part.”
The comedic aspects of The Game Plan are similar to those in Nancy Meyers’ 1998 rendition of The Parent Trap. The way the twins in The Parent Trap treat Meredith Black (their father’s fiancée) reminds me of the way Peyton treats the women in her father’s life. When Joe tried getting Peyton a nanny, she blackmailed him by saying she would tell the media that he gave her a margarita to drink the night before (unless he would get rid of the nanny). Also, when Joe was about to go out, Peyton sabotaged him and his date by saying that she was allergic to the babysitter’s dog.
A major common theme that can be taken away from the film is realizing what is truly important in life. In the beginning of the film, Joe states that football is his life and nothing else matters besides playing on the field every Sunday. At the end of the film, Joe states in an interview that there is nothing that he loves more than his daughter. He definitely came a long way, and changed a lot as a character. Multiple times throughout the movie, Peyton questions Joe with “What’s the best thing that ever happened to you?” In the beginning, without a doubt, his answer would have been football. He never really answered the question until the end of the movie — he told Peyton that she was the best thing that ever happened to him. Peyton and Joe’s relationship is the cutest father-daughter relationship on film to date. Watching them form a special bond throughout the course of 110 minutes is heartwarming. I think the film is trying to get across to its audience that material things don’t matter. It’s your family that will always be there for you, and life is a lot more fun with people by your side.
Given the beautiful story that is told in Andy Fickman’s The Game Plan, and all of the great technical aspects that go into the film, I would award this movie a 10/10. The film can literally be loved by almost every type of movie lover. There are elements of comedy, some romance, sporting scenes, and drama. The Game Plan is a fantastic film for the whole family to see.
