Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»3562. Playing With Fire (2019)

    3562. Playing With Fire (2019)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on November 28, 2021 2019, 6 - 7.9, 90-99 mins, Comedy, Kids', Movies Of 2021, Nov 21, Review, United States
    7.0 Insufferable at first, but mellows
    • Acting 7.2
    • Directing 6.9
    • Story 6.9
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: John Cena, Keegan Michael-Key, John Leguizamo

    Director: Andy Fickman

    Running Time: 96 mins


    Playing With Fire is an American film about a team of smokejumpers in the woods who unexpectedly become the custodians of three lost children, who initially interfere in their work, but soon become the apples of the firemen’s eyes.

    As much as the A-list cast try to offer something different, Playing With Fire is first and foremost a kids’ movie, and one that doesn’t have much to offer older viewers. Kids will absolutely enjoy this movie, for its silly hijinks and jokes, but if you’re over the age of 10, you might struggle to find much to love about Playing With Fire.

    So, there’s no denying that this film does the job when it comes to entertaining its target audience. John Cena is a big, cuddly teddy bear throughout, his fellow smokejumpers are a zany group of comic side characters, and there’s a very simple, but ultimately rather sweet central romance between Cena and Judy Greer.

    The kids themselves, played by Brianna Hildebrand, Christian Convery, Finley Rose Slater, are perfectly nice throughout, although the drama that the screenplay tries to give their characters is a little one-dimensional, and doesn’t add much in the way of emotional depth to the movie.

    What’s more, particularly in the opening half of the film, the kids are a little bit screamy to make things genuinely enjoyable. This can be an issue for older viewers in films directed squarely at children, and the rather shrill comedy proves more annoying than funny.

    However, as the story unfolds, Playing With Fire becomes a lot more mellow, and you do begin to fall for the characters, particularly as the hard-shelled John Cena begins to warm to the kids, and the kids themselves begin to calm down in the smokejumpers’ station.

    The vast majority of the movie takes place in the station in the middle of the woods, and although it feels almost claustrophobic early on, things do eventually begin to spread out into the wider landscape, which is a real relief – and helps the movie to no longer feel like being stuck in an aeroplane with screaming children.

    So, while I’m absolutely not the target audience for Playing With Fire, and I think that young kids will like this film, I’ll say that it is a bit of a mixed bag. Early on, it’s almost insufferable, but as the story unfolds, things do mellow and become a little more entertaining. So, that’s why I’m giving Playing With Fire a 7.0 overall.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    9.5
    Review
    August 24, 20150

    1067. Me And Earl And The Dying Girl (2015)

    8.0
    Review
    September 18, 20160

    1490. Bad Moms (2016)

    9.4
    Review
    April 12, 20130

    119. 127 Hours (2010)

    8.0
    Review
    November 29, 20200

    3167. To Be Or Not To Be (1942)

    8.3
    Review
    July 14, 20140

    623. Boyhood (2014)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.