A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.... (Full plot summary below)
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A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.
Leave your thoughts about Playing with Fire.
| IGNJenna BuschThe comedy is broad and slapstick, but ultimately the film is heartwarming and lovely. You’ll find yourself laughing in spite of your initial reaction to the goofiness of the premise. It’s also a fun way to spend an afternoon with the kids. |
| Film ThreatAlan NgKey, Leguizamo, Greer, and Haysbert actually look like their having a good time and investing their acting talent in this silly story without flinching. No one’s phoning it in. John Cena is just a little too cartoony in his straight-laced character and somehow manages to make “normal” feel over-the-top. |
| The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckPlaying With Fire strikes strictly predictably beats. Key and Leguizamo, comic talents who are wildly overqualified for this sort of thing, work hard, very hard, to infuse the tired material with laughs. But they're mostly hamstrung by their one-note characters |
| The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Sarah HagiAs Playing With Fire progressed, it became increasingly clear that the target audience was not respected. This was made by people who seem to think kids are stupid. |
| The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerIt’s more tedious than unwatchable, and pint-size Cena fans may be curious to see him in a movie more compatible with his Kids’ Choice Awards hosting gigs than the likes of "Blockers" or "Trainwreck." Sadly, the movie never shows similar curiosity about what its young audience, and subjects, might be thinking or feeling. |
| Washington PostJane HorwitzWith horrific wildfires scorching California, the timing of this firefighter comedy also seems off. It might inspire empathy, if only it were actually funny. |
| The New York TimesTeo BugbeeIt’s an unchallenging movie, but as far as unchallenging kids movies go, the actors ensure this one doesn’t fall into soullessness. |
| The GuardianPeter BradshawThe whole thing is shot and lit in that dull flat way that is mandatory for Hollywood family comedies, and the script is mainly dull, though I concede Key has some nice lines as he gets cross with Brynn’s sarcastic attitude. |
| Movie NationRoger MooreEvery wrinkle in the plot is nakedly contrived, an obvious screenplay convenience. Every gag is given away. Every one-liner vanishes into the void. Kids may love projectile poop gags, but even they should be able to smell the odor Playing with Fire puts out there. |
| VarietyOwen GleibermanPlaying with Fire . . . is a barely glorified sitcom made in the overlit and benignly smart-mouth Nickelodeon house style. |
