Playing with Fire (2019)

Playing with Fire (2019)

6/10

Starring

John Cena

John Leguizamo

Brianna Hildebrand

Dennis Haysbert

Judy Greer

Directed by Andy Fickman

I like the movie Playing with Fire. I found it funny and enjoyable, even though it is as cheesy as hell. It was nice to see a family-friendly movie not take itself too seriously, and it added a little mystery to it, ending in a way that you know would never happen in real life. The movie gave us a Disney-style “they lived happily ever after” ending, even though the whole idea of these people together is a disaster waiting to happen.

What Playing with Fire has that made me enjoy it was streamlining the cast. The movie focuses on the characters at hand. In the fire station, we have four men and three children, with an occasional romantic interest visiting the station. With these eight, the movie builds its plot and doesn’t even attempt to complicate things.

The movie starts with the introduction of the men working under Superintendent Jake (John Cena). Jake and his men are smokejumpers. I never knew such a department existed within firefighting, but these are trained men who drop into wildland fires using parachutes. Jake aspires to be like his dad, who was a Division Commander.

Jake is very good at his job, but the fun thing about his team is their different personalities. Mark (Keegan-Michael Key) is emotional and often very nervous. Torres (John Leguizamo) is a little nuts, known for misquoting popular sayings and attributing them to the wrong person. Then there’s Axe, who is mostly quiet throughout the movie.

There’s a wildfire in the woodlands, and the team saves three children from a cabin. They take them to their station, but the fire, which burned down the home the children were staying in, leaves the kids stuck with the men until their parents come to pick them up.

The movie then takes a turn you would expect from movies like this. The men have no idea how to take care of children, and the fun of the movie starts there.

The movie was not a critical success, as it was disliked by many, with some saying it’s in contention to be rated the worst movie of 2019. Funny enough, I can agree that this movie isn’t the best thing you can see at the cinema, but it’s funny and best watched at home, not in theaters. It was also a commercial disappointment, a box office bomb. Nonetheless, if you catch it on TV, get ready for some cheesy fun.