The Game Plan

A pro football star (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) finds his self-centered life turned upside down when he suddenly meets the eight-year-old daughter he never knew he had (Madison Pettis). A game plan is exactly what the haphazard script (by Nichole Millard, Kathryn Price, and Audrey Wells) lacks. There are scenes inserted for laughs (including that musty old standby, turning on the blender without securing the lid), for tears (young Pettis batting her big brown eyes, like a robot made of sugar), and for thrills (the all-or-nothing championship game), but nothing hangs together under Andy Fickman’s slack direction. Johnson’s star power and genuine flair for comedy are assets, but they only carry things so far. Kyra Sedgwick (as Johnson’s cynical agent) and Morris Chestnut (as a teammate) are largely wasted.