Disney treatment

Predictable Game Plan says much about its maker | Sam Thielman

The Walt Disney company can usually be relied upon to satisfy parents who want films without swearing, violence, or nudity in them. Sometimes—as in the case of the Pixar films—they find a studio that produces artistically beautiful work without any objectionable content. In the case of The Game Plan (rated PG), however, they've managed to produce a film that is both squeaky clean (there's one lonely potty joke over the 110-minute running time) and nearly unwatchable.

There's not a single drug, swear word, or hint of sex in the life of star quarterback Joe Kingman (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), but we understand from the beginning that Joe is a selfish dude who parties too hard, possibly by staying up past his bedtime. Enter Peyton (Madison Pettis), a child from Joe's defunct marriage who has run away from ballet school to find her clueless Dad. Joe has lived in blissful ignorance of Peyton's existence until now; when the 7-year-old girl sets up shop in his opulent bachelor pad, though, he has to adjust, and to decide whether to support a soulless chain of burger joints selling unhealthy food to kids.