Michasi's Review

Summary - Great 4.0

Formulaic and filled with cliches, but the ending emotional results affect audiences surprisingly well.

Acting - Very Good 3.5

Dwayne Johnson successfully moves out of his “Rock” phase as Joe Kingman. A realistic role that plays to his real life strengths. Expected laughs and light drama occur when Joe’s 8 year old daughter Peyton, played by Madison Pettis, shows up at his doorstep. This little actress shows charm and intelligence in a solid big screen debut. The gorgeous Roselyn Sanchez (“Rush Hour”) plays the romantic interest, a dance instructor named Monique, well. “Transporter 2” femme fatale Kate Nauta also makes a forgettable, two-scene impression as Joe’s girlfriend Tatianna leaving room for Monique.

Film - Very Good 3.5

Overall, director Andy Finkman (“She’s the Man”) creates a smooth experience in several familiar Boston area locales, but tends to douse viewers in the familiar. Training montages set to music, slow motion football scenes and a Mean Joe Greene like scene in a tunnel sustains an average experience that never kicks into overdrive. Finkman uses over-the-top, “bandwagon” reactions for excitement instead of concentrating on how the scene can create more excitement naturally.

Edge - Risqué 1.6

Not much – it’s a kid’s movie. Some romantic element between the two leads (the dance instructor bends her body provocatively – what a surprise). Basically, the self centered, Elvis loving Joe shifts gears using four weeks to make up for several years when he didn’t even know Peyton existed.

Reality - Glib 1.4

Announcer cameos from Boomer Esiason, Stuart Scott and Marv Albert work while Jim Gray gets key scene playing (drum roll) – a sports reporter. This movie comes up a bit short on the football side, though ballet scenes promote a nice recommendation and excitement for the sport.

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