Prime Time: Playdate (2025)

Another week, another action comedy movie made specifically for a streaming service. While the action comedy would seem like an easy enough thing to get right, the many lesser examples that have appeared over the past few years prove just how hard it can be. Playdate is another one that doesn't work. In fact, I would say it's almost a complete failure, with very few decent laughs and not enough competent action.

Kevin James plays Brian, stepfather to Lucas (Benjamin Pajak). Trying the usual father-son bonding activities that he knows, which seems to amount to playing catch and trying to present himself as some kind of shining example of manly strenth and reliability, Brian finds himself slightly at a loss as Lucas prefers more artistic activities, such as choreographed dance routines. While at a local park, Brian and Lucas encounter Jeff (Alan Ritchson) and his son, CJ (Banks Pierce). They seem to be the exact opposites of Brian and Lucas, but Jeff immediately claims Brian as a new BFF, which leads to all four of our main characters dragged into a situation that involves a secret science facility, a load of mercs, and one or two completely unsurprising revelations about Jeff and CJ.

This is easily the worst film that I've seen from director Luke Greenfield, and that is saying something, especially when you consider that his first feature was The Animal. As has happened many times before, he's a director who has too much faith in his writer, Neil Goldman, and his leads. Goldman, having done some great work on TV shows over the years, completely misses the mark here, although I have to wonder if he was trying to craft something around two stars who just weren't a good fit for this.

James does what James usually does, which makes him the less problematic of the two leads. It's Ritchson who never feels quite right in his role, forced to make his character silly and over the top in a way that drags down the whole film. Obviously aiming to emulate the kind of mismatched pairing that worked so well for the likes of Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson, especially with the latter being quirky and daft in Central Intelligence, nobody seems to have figured out that you need to find a way to still show some heart and humanity if you want viewers to root for your leads. Both Pajak and Pierce are much better, enjoyably contrasting against one another, but also managing to become fast friends in a way that is believable and sweet, just because of them being kids . . . and that is what kids do. Sarah Chalke gets screentime that adds up to about a minute, Alan Tudyk likewise, and there are mildly amusing moments for Isla Fisher, Stephen Root, and Paul Walter Hauser.

I may have chuckled once or twice, maybe (the memory is already hazy as my brain tries to protect me from the pain). I enjoyed some of the fight choreography. That's about all I can say. James was on auto-pilot, Ritchson sorely misjudged his approach to the material, and I spent most of the runtime (which was, thankfully, just about the 90-minute mark) wishing for it to just end. 

3/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Bonus Review: Let's Be Cops (2014)

It's not that hard to make a decent, mainstream comedy. I may not rave about them at every opportunity, but films like We're The Millers and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone are movies that do all that I require from them. They keep me happy, and often chuckling, for the duration. So why do so many movies get it wrong, either relying on the talent/charisma of some leading player who doesn't have the right stuff, or simply misfiring most of the gags? It's a mystery, especially when you get to enjoy a film like Let's Be Cops, a slice of fun that works so well mainly because of a fantastic premise, helped by the chemistry between the two leading men.

Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. star as, respectively, Ryan and Justin. The two men aren't where they want to be in their lives. A blunt, cruel person might even simply refer to them as losers. But things take a turn for the better when they decide to go to a party one evening dressed as cops. They soon realise that a lot of people are looking at them differently, looking at them as if they are real cops. Caught up in the good feeling, the two decide to take things farther than they should, eventually landing themselves in some major hot water when they take on a criminal (James D'Arcy) who isn't afraid to threaten even officers of the law.

I could say that Let's Be Cops is a bit of an easy ride for everyone involved. It just seems impossible to screw up, but that's only something I can think now because it wasn't screwed up. You just need to watch the similar(-ish) Ride Along to see the material being twisted into something inferior for the sake of making it into a star vehicle. This movie isn't a star vehicle, yet Wayans Jr. and Johnson come out of it shining brightly.

The direction from Luke Greenfield, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Nicholas Thomas, is solid. Everything moves from A to B quickly enough, and the only major complaint about the plotting is how predictable things become in the second half. But it's a predictability that, like everything else in the movie, simply enhances the fun. It's a comforting set of twists and turns showing that a plot HAS actually been wrapped around the comedic set-pieces without ever taking too much time away from the laughs.

As much as I'm tempted to, I won't go on and on about the two leading men any more. They're both brilliant, individually and when sharing their many scenes together. Nina Dobrev does as well as can be expected in the role of Josie AKA the love interest for Wayans Jr. It's a potentially thankless part to play, but Dobrev still manages to bring something more to the table than just her attractive looks. D'Arcy is a convincingly cold villain, and always feels like a viable threat, even before things really heat up for our two leads. Rob Riggle and Andy Garcia are both excellent as two very different law enforcement officers, with the former coming along at just the right time to save the movie from any potential lull in proceedings. And I can't forget to mention the scene-stealing turns from Natasha Leggero and Keegan-Michael Key. Leggero plays a woman turned on by the cops who need to use her home as a surveillance point, while Key is a helpful informant who just doesn't know when to keep inappropriate comments to himself.

It's not the most sophisticated comedy you'll ever see, and it's also far from the funniest, but Let's Be Cops proves to be surprisingly effective at mixing some big laughs with characters you end up actually caring about. Which makes it more deserving of your time than at least 80% of the mainstream comedies that have tried to take your money in the last few years.

7/10

http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Cops-Blu-ray-James-DArcy/dp/B00NQH5IBU/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1412116867&sr=1-2&keywords=let%27s+be+cops