By Carly Shaner
They say people get closer in high-stakes situations; that friendships are strengthened when the stakes are heightened. Why not also use those circumstances as father-son bonding time?
“Playdate” follows Brian (Kevin James), a new stay-at-home stepdad, as he tries to connect with his son Lucas (Benjamin Pajak). They accept an invitation from another stay-at-home dad, Jeff (Alan Ritchson), and his son CJ (Banks Pierce). At said playdate, part of which is in a Chuck-E-Cheese type of place, CJ mentions that Jeff is “not his dad.” The movie takes off, and the audience follows these four through adventures and humorous sidetracks as they try to discover the truth.
As an action comedy, this movie showcases both genres vividly. The comedic elements of the movie are very present and laughable. Every character, when introduced, immediately fits into a stereotype. The film maintains a bright, saturated color scheme, giving everything that happens a “ fun” vibe, even when it means someone is trying to shoot them down on the freeway during a minivan chase.
The casting was well done for this movie, with the actors looking like the stereotypes they’re meant to be. Alan Ritchson, more popularly known for his role as Jack Reacher, portrays Jeff as a Reacher-type, an extremely self-aware ex-military man, but with a lighter sense of humor and a hilarious golden retriever kind of energy. Isla Fisher, though her appearance is short, illustrates the ideal soccer mom and leader of the “Mama Mafia.” Kevin James steps into yet another relatable, working-class dad in Brian. Along with the acting, the writing allows the child actors in the movie to still act like children.
Amidst the colors, explosions, chases and fights, there is a good message about fatherhood and father-son relationships. Both Jeff and Brian are learning how to connect with their kid. Brian tries to bond with Lucas the same way he bonded with his dad. Jeff is trying to be better than his absentee father. They both want to stand up and protect the kids. Brian sums up the priority of being a father as “Letting them know that we have their backs.”
Something that could have been done better was the content woven into the story. There’s humor for kids, but with the added language and other types of adult-leaning content, the target audience isn’t clear. The explicit language doesn’t take away or add to the plot, and in the later parts of the movie, it feels forced. There are also moments when the boys are watching movies in the backseat while the adults talk, but every time it’s a kind of movie boys their age should definitely not watch.
As the plot thickens (as much as it can in a comedy) and we discover more about CJ and Jeff, it turns into a concept that would’ve made for a great serious movie. Once the antagonists are introduced, they come from ideas that have the potential to be much worse as villains if the movie were more solemn.
Another issue this movie had was its audio mixing. Some lines from off-camera characters don’t sound like that character every time. Additionally, the song switches during fast-paced scenes giving the audience no time to process which song stopped, which song started and when they’re switching.
Being a comedy, this movie isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. The product placements, though odd and random, fit. The stereotypes are lived up to, but almost too much. The song choices are full of vibes, but the rapid switches chop them up. The message about fatherhood is stuffed between arcade fist-fights and frequent, unnecessary coarse language. The villains and motives had more potential than the genre allowed. As a movie that’s supposed to be about fatherhood, I wish they had put their complete focus on either the fun of a playdate or the seriousness of fatherhood.
I give this movie a 5.75/10.
“Playdate” is currently streaming on Prime Video.
Carly Shaner is a junior Professional Writing and Information Design Major. She loves coffee and spends her free time reading books, attempting to write them and playing games of all kinds.
Images courtesy of Amazon Prime Video.
No Replies to "‘Playdate’ comically and confusingly conveys fatherhood"