★★
A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.
Classification: PG
It seems to be a right of passage among tough guy action stars especially if they were a wrestler or bodybuilder that in order to gain massive box office receipts in their massive action films they must perform this pagan sacrifice by starring in a below-average family comedy. Complete with toilet humour and predictable sentimentality, Playing with Fire is John Cena's offering on the altar as his next starring roles will see him taking part in the Fast and Furious franchise along with a sequel to Suicide Squad, so he needs to deliver the family-friendly goods. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hulk Hogan, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson have all delivered their adventures of large no-nonsense "badasses" having their hearts thawed by adorable children, even Dave Bautista has one coming out in 2020. I guess it's a tactic to divert away from moms thinking these actors solely promote violence and would be fine with letting their children see the next action-packed instalment of their latest franchise, "oh sure you can see the next Fast and Furious, all those actors were in those sweet family films, I'm sure it's just like that".
Fortunately, John Cena has already proved himself as a likeable and capable comedic actor, don't believe me? Go watch Blockers, in fact, I may just stop writing this review just to rewatch Blockers, it's that good and Cena steals every scene he's in as an over obsessive father to a teenage girl. Playing with Fire isn't terrible in any sense, it's very predictable, the humour is mostly low brow consisting of toilet humour, Keegan Michael Key doing his schtick and oddly enough many, many references to My Little Pony. Cena is the straight-laced, hyper-focused macho man firefighter (sorry smokejumper) Jake 'Supe' Carson whose striving for excellence and order is disrupted after saving three children from a fire. Under the safe haven law, Carson along with his crew of fellow smokejumpers are forced to care for the three siblings and to the surprise of no one, crazy antics ensue and Carson ends up caring for the energetic youngsters. Yes, Brianna Hildebrand plays the elder moody teenager of the bunch to give the film some 'depth' but this whole film is just an excuse for Cena and co to have dumb fun and make audiences laugh.
Nothing about the film excels or fails in what it sets out to do, I mean the comedy and story are way too obvious in places but Playing with Fire and director Andy Fickman know exactly what this film is supposed to be and doesn't stray from formula for a second. You'll laugh, surprisingly so as even the most obvious gags can hit due to the charismatic performances, even with this being a silly little kids film, Cena, Key, and John Leguizamo aren't sleeping through this for a paycheck, they all seem to be having genuine fun in their roles. Cena, the stoic deadpan straight man, Key the enthusiastic sidekick, and Leguizamo an equally enthusiastic but foolish sidekick who appears to be a Brony and seems to have served time at San Quentin State Prison. Ex-wrestler Tyler Mane rounds out this firefighting ensemble as a monosyllabic brute named "Axe", a gigantic firefighter who always carries an axe, the meanest of the mean and you guessed is revealed to be a loveable softie by the end. But hey two former wrestlers playing stalwart tough guys who becoming loving guardians to children, why Playing with Fire is doubling down on this specific sub-genre, John Cena can't take any chances.
It seems obvious that a lot of the comedy is derived from the actors riffing improv seen mostly by Leguizamo's misquotations and strange anecdotes, it's still funny but you really start to wonder why does this film have so many tie ins to My Little Pony. Is it a parent company licensing deal? A cynical attempt to make the film more appealing to children? A lame joke to have male characters juxtaposed against pink glittery imagery? I don't care but it was distracting most of the time. The emotional points such as Hildebrand's insecurities or Cena's romance with Judy Greer play out just as you suspect, no surprises or gripping drama to be had. When the film tries to be sincere it can feel a bit manipulative considering how foolish and immature the comedy can get but its the charisma and excitement of the cast that makes the most cliché moments bearable. Awkward dancing, misfiring jokes, again lots of My Little Pony like John Cena is wearing a crop top with a unicorn on it towards the end, did the production team lose a bet? Is this part of the ritual? Anyway Playing with Fire is exactly what you expect but its those low expectations of expecting another The Pacifier or The Game Plan that has the film disarm the audience to the genuine heart to it all and actually entertain.
The entirety of the enjoyment of this film is seeing this ensemble just let loose in some predictable hijinks and slapstick. As mentioned before Fickman and Cena aren't trying to be bold in any way with this, it's a simple vehicle to make your kids laugh but if you're older and watching with friends, Key and Leguizamo offer some decent counter-programming with their personal brand of zingers. Honestly, half my enjoyment of watching Playing with Fire was trying to figure out what exactly was going on with Leguizamo's backstory as every new development made him so much more peculiar. A simple story with simple laughs made enjoyable by an enthusiastic and friendly cast, Playing with Fire is cheesy family entertainment that won't leave you too burned.
Director: #AndyFickman
Release Date: December 26th 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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