THE GAME PLAN
US, 2007, 110 minutes, Colour.
Dwayne Johnson, Madeleine Pettis, Kyra Sedgwick.
Directed by Andy Fickman.
Disney 21st century storytelling.
With Billy Elliot we had the confrontation between football and ballet leading to a sensational victory for ballet. The Game Plan takes on the same confrontation but… Football and ballet are not mutually exclusive; they both have an extraordinary athleticism; there is a place for mutual admiration. They can be reconciled and live in harmony. And this comes courtesy of that good sport (in all senses) Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
This is a film which needs a warning that audiences who can’t stand sweetness and light, who can’t stand precocious, dominating American children, who dislike the predictable and, especially, happy endings all round, will find it hard to sit through. On the other hand, those who don’t mind all these ingredients at all (well, the domineering children are still pretty hard to take) will find it an audience-friendly film.
Dwayne Johnson has shown quite some versatility in his acting since he was one of the silent heavies in the Mummy franchise as well as being The Serpent King. He did a very funny turn in Be Cool. He brought his sporting authority to The Gridiron Gang as well as providing strong male role modeling. Here he is one of the most narcissistic of sportsman, a footballer whose name is (symbolically) Joe Kingman (emphasis on the King). Needless to say, his favourite singer is Elvis. And his self-adorned apartment has to be seen to be believed. His performance makes you wonder about many of the highly overpaid real life sports celebrities and their pampered egos. He also transcends W.C.Fields’ warning against acting with children and animals. The Rock more than holds his own with a little girl and a dog.
That accounts for the football.
Enter his unknown eight year old daughter. She is eight going on fifty in her worldly wisdom, her skills in manipulation, her handling of the press, her ambition… Are many American little girls really like this? She accounts for the ballet. Actually, Joe is roped in to perform in the school concert as a dancing tree much to the amusement of the team who finish up applauding wildly. Reconciliation.
There is quite an amount of slapstick – and pratfalls at Joe’s expense. There is really no need to say that Joe mellows and looks forward to parenting (though I am not sure that the daughter mellows – perhaps she will with a strong father-figure).
Kyra Sedgwick does a caricature turn as a sports agent which would make the unreformed Jerry Maguire envious!
The ending has the whole cast singing and dancing to an Elvis song which leaves everyone in a happy mood for dancing in the aisles.
1.Disney family entertainment, 21st century style?
2.The world of football, the world of ballet? The contrasts, comparisons, athleticism, admiration – and a reconciliation?
3.The Boston settings, the city itself, stadium, ballet school, apartments, theatre, the locker room, press conferences? Authentic atmosphere?
4.The musical score, the contrast with the background to the football, to the ballet? Songs?
5.Family themes, relationships? Marriage, children, divorce? Secrets? The consequences? Issues of parenting?
6.The Rock as Joe Kingman, his comic style, self-deprecating? Slapstick? Kingman as his name, his image, the credits, his apartment, the images, Elvis, the songs? The commentators on Kingman? His behaviour, his pay, sponsorships? His apartment, self-centred? The team, relationships? Stella as his hard-bitten agent? Television commercials? Adulation? The fans? Watching himself on television and mouthing his words? At training? His vanity, the parties, self-absorbed, the girlfriend? Yet the screenplay and the performance poking fun at this kind of character?
7.The daughter, her arrival? The concierge ringing her up? Her strong character, direct, her image of her father, the background story, her mother in Africa? The reality and her mother having died, the aunt looking after her, her box, Joe finding the note from his wife? The aunt, her calls from Africa, care?
8.Stella, the agent, “Show me the money …”? The deals, the pressure, her irritation with the little girl, her smoothing up to the sponsors, protecting Joe?
9.The comedy of mishaps, the daughter too strong, wilful, demanding, spoilt? Defying Joe? The mess in the apartment, the dog, the tutu, taking the big bed, the blender and splashing everything, the destructive elements of the comedy? The New Year’s party, her being left behind? The press, the images, the bad dad? Her taking over the press conference, the journalists’ response, Stella’s response? Endearing herself to them? At home, her demands on her father? The ballet, the interview, the dancing? The allergies and her talk? His allergy and his talk – and lisping during the commercial? Her father’s exasperation? The visitors and their watching the TV game, her switching channels? The interviews with the nanny – and Stella firing the nanny? The return of Joe’s girlfriend and their interactions?
10.The team, the good husband, his good advice, the other friends, the dumb player and his comments about being stupid …? The silent giant?
11.The ballet, the daughter’s skills, the introduction, the teacher not knowing who Joe Kingman was, her treatment of Joe, his having to sit and watch? The girl and her persuasiveness, her performance, practice? Joe participating, as a tree? The teacher, her personality, encouragement of the girl? The concert, the team arriving, their laughter, applause? Ballet winning?
12.The girl and her allergy, being taken to hospital, Joe desperate, the aunt’s arrival, the revelation of the lies and the truth? Joe going to see his daughter? The interview on the television, the daughter seeing it, the aunt and the daughter deciding to go to the match?
13.Joe, being interviewed about what the best thing in his life was, becoming less self-centred, the hospital, going to the match, his not playing well, the commentators in the box, his being injured, the team effort, the daughter and aunt coming, encouraging Joe? His playing and the success of the team?
14.The ballet sequences, their length, detail, athleticism? The football play, the plans, the skills, athleticism?
15.The happy ending, the Elvis song – and the whole cast joining in and enjoying themselves, an exuberant finish for the audience?
