Playdate Review: Kevin James and Alan Ritchson’s Mismatched Buddy-Movie Pairing Can’t Save This Unfunny Action Comedy
Playdate is a 93-minute movie that I will never get back after enduring this painfully unfunny drivel. In this so-called action comedy that blends with buddy-movie elements, which happens to be one of my favourite sub-genres, Kevin James plays Brian Jennings, who recently lost his job working as a forensic accountant. He’s now spending more time as a stay-at-home stepdad bonding with his working wife’s (Sarah Chalke) son, Lucas (Benjamin Pajak). Just like Brian, who is pretty much a wuss, Lucas faces similar situations, where he can’t defend himself against the bullies. The boy prefers to dance, despite Brian trying his best to get him interested in playing sports.
Alan Ritchson’s Jeff Eamon is soon introduced when he meets Brian and Lucas at the park. The former, who used to serve in the army, has an oddly hyperactive and impassive-looking son, CJ (Banks Pierce). And despite barely knowing each other, Jeff doesn’t hesitate to invite Brian and Lucas for a playdate. That’s where the trouble begins, starting with Jeff’s encounter with a mean-looking guy in a hand-to-hand combat at a Chuck E. Cheese-style entertainment centre.
Luke Greenfield, best known for his first two movies in The Animal and The Girl Next Door, attempts to ramp up the action-comedy beats. He throws everything but the kitchen sink, namely an elaborate highway chase that feels more like a product placement for the Honda Odyssey to show us how the otherwise family-oriented minivan works well for a high-speed pursuit. It was mindlessly fun and all, and frankly, the only scene that keeps me occupied watching Ritchson’s Jeff having a field day driving like crazy, complete with Corona’s “The Rhythm of the Night” playing in the background.
Not to mention, Greenfield manages to find an excuse to slip in Isla Fisher, showing up in a hilariously spunky small role as the “mama mafia” leader, Leslie. There’s a scene where a mascot, who just can’t stop bothering Brian for a hug. I guess it’s supposed to be funny, but somehow it just feels like Greenfield, who directed Neil Goldman’s largely inane screenplay, is trying hard to draw some laughs. It’s hard to believe this is the same screenwriter whose prior television credits include Family Guy, Scrubs, and Community.
So, back to the story, apparently, there are a few bad guys out there who have been tracking down CJ, and all I can say is Jeff is risking his life to protect him at all costs. As the movie progresses to fill us in on what really happens, Greenfield includes flashbacks with an awkwardly misplaced needle drop of Harry Nilsson’s “Without You”, making me wonder if this is supposed to be randomly funny just for the sake of it. It’s a pity that the otherwise inspired casting of Kevin James and Alan Ritchson could have been worthwhile, especially given their respective contrasting personalities — one’s a deadpan and the other’s a frenzied, loose-cannon type.
Too bad both of them are ultimately hampered by a flabby screenplay and Greenfield’s haphazard direction. Both actors certainly deserve better than what they get here, particularly for Ritchson, bringing in a supposedly refreshing change of pace to let loose after gaining widespread recognition playing the formidable action role in the Reacher series. Besides, it’s easy to forget that the earlier part of his acting career saw him appearing in the Blue Mountain State sitcom back in the 2010s.
The rest of the movie sees Greenfield slapping in pop-culture references (the po-faced Reservoir Dogs parody simply feels off) and even movie clips (including one of his own and, for some reason, Straight Outta Compton). Then, it gets weird once the truth is out about the whole shenanigan, leading to a left-field third act which concludes one of the worst action comedies I’ve ever seen this year.
Playdate is streaming on Prime Video.
