playing with fire movie review

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It’s clear that we’re entering surreal territory very early on in the family comedy “Playing With Fire” – specifically, from the opening titles.

The movie begins with a wildfire raging through a Northern California forest. People are stranded in their cars, roads are clogged, chaos and fear are swirling around with the smoke. The soundtrack for this emergency situation? Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars ’ “Uptown Funk,” the perky and ubiquitous party anthem from a few years back. Maybe the filmmakers were taking the “Call the police and the fireman” section of the song’s lyrics literally. Whatever the reason, it’s a bizarre choice, but only the first in a series of many.

Director Andy Fickman , whose previous high-concept comedies include “ You Again ,” “Parental Guidance” and his piece de resistance, “ Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 ,” has slapped together a series of wacky antics with little concern for continuity, logic or pacing. I kept asking myself questions like: “How did that dog get there?” “Where did Judy Greer get that sweater?” “How did they paint that ‘My Little Pony’ mural so quickly?” and “What happened to Keegan-Michael Key? He was standing there a second ago.” Just to give you an idea of how the movie aims to appeal to the widest possible audience with its broad brand of humor, it features an even ratio of poop jokes to John Cena shirtless scenes. I counted.

“Playing With Fire” tries to be tasteless and crass but also treacly and cheery. It wants to you go: “Ewwww …,” but also: “Awwww ...” You’re more likely to groan, then look at your watch again.  

Cena stars as a by-the-book firefighter named Jake Carson, who leads his team of smokejumpers into harm’s way when flames threaten the rugged wildlands of Northern California. (A side note: It was also a strange experience seeing this movie when much of the state was burning in reality.) The fastidious Mark (Key), the sensitive Rodrigo ( John Leguizamo ) and the mute, burly Axe ( Tyler Mane ) are his co-workers. (Mane, Cena’s fellow former wrestler, plays a character with that name because he … carries an axe.) When a fire breaks out at a cabin and the team swoops in to put out the flames, Jake finds a trio of siblings trapped inside: responsible teenager Brynn ( Brianna Hildebrand ), impish little brother Will ( Christian Convery ) and the tiny, wide-eyed moppet Zoe ( Finley Rose Slater ).

The scene is a prime example of the awkward ways in which Fickman, working from a script by Matt Lieberman and Dan Ewen , will nonsensically yank us out of a moment for a cheap laugh. In the middle of a supposedly tense rescue, Jake and the kids have a petty argument about semantics before Jake gets hoisted back up to the helicopter too quickly in a misunderstanding with pilot Rodrigo. (Actually, he gets slammed up to the ceiling. Cena also falls on his face a lot. It’s never even good for a chuckle.)

Anyway, the whole point is to get the kids back to the fire depot, a pristine and orderly workplace where they can wreak havoc in a variety of ways. And because Jake can’t get a hold of their parents, he’s stuck taking care of them for far longer than he’d hoped. You see, Jake has no time in his life or room in his heart for other people—not even the scientist (Greer) doing research nearby who has a crush on him. He is all about the work. Nonetheless, madcap hijinks ensue involving paint thinner, soap suds and, yes, poop. There’s one bit involving projectile diarrhea and a protective firefighting suit that defies the laws of physics; I’m still trying to figure out how it makes sense logistically. Then there’s the scene in which Jake has to relieve himself outdoors, with the youngest sibling – a little girl who’s maybe 4 years old – standing directly in front of him and holding his head in place to ensure that he maintains eye contact with her the whole time. It is as uncomfortable as it sounds.

From there, it’s a dizzying, 180-degree turn into feel-good territory, with Mark rhapsodizing about the important, brave work smokejumpers do and Jake finally letting his guard down and becoming a warm, doting father figure to these kids when they need it the most. Cena has enjoyably toyed with his beefy image in a variety of comedies, including “ Trainwreck ” and “ Blockers ,” but he has nothing to work with here. An even more egregious offense is the way “Playing With Fire” wastes the ever-reliable Greer (with whom Cena has not an ounce of chemistry) and the hugely versatile Key. He gets the one genuinely funny line in the movie—a joke that only adults in the audience will understand—and is the only reason this is a half-star review rather than zero.

Don’t believe me? Just watch. Or better yet, don’t.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film Credits

Playing with Fire (2019)

Rated PG for rude humor, some suggestive material and mild peril.

John Cena as Jake Carson

Keegan Michael Key as Mark

Brianna Hildebrand as Brynn

Judy Greer as Dr. Amy Hicks

John Leguizamo as Rodrigo

Tyler Mane as Axe

• Andy Fickman
• Matt Lieberman

Cinematographer

• Dean Semler
• Nathan Wang

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Playing with fire, common sense media reviewers.

Cena charms, but slapstick-heavy comedy doesn't fully spark.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Positive representation of importance of community

Jake and squad of smoke jumpers are brave, brother

Physical comedy and slapstick as kids wreak havoc

Flirting and eventual embracing/kissing between a

Bathroom humor includes a joke about a preschooler

My Little Pony (animated show, as well as merchand

Parents need to know that Playing with Fire is a family comedy starring John Cena as "Supe," an elite smoke-jumping squad leader who rescues three siblings from a fire and has to take responsibility for them until their parents can claim them. The kids wreak havoc at the firehouse, playing with equipment and…

Positive Messages

Positive representation of importance of community helpers and emergency responders like smoke jumpers. Promotes keeping orphaned siblings together and impact of foster and adoptive parenting. Salutes intergenerational friendship and mentorship. Themes include courage, empathy, teamwork.

Positive Role Models

Jake and squad of smoke jumpers are brave, brotherly, kind. Several have playful sides that allow them to connect to, form bonds with the siblings. Jake is a man of order and organization; he's driven, disciplined, loyal. Dr. Amy Hicks is intelligent, environmentally aware, and kind (if not exactly a huge part of the film). The kids want to be together, to be safe, to be loved.

Violence & Scariness

Physical comedy and slapstick as kids wreak havoc at firehouse. Fire scene in which kids are saved is momentarily frightening, as are two scenes in which the kids are in danger of crashing or even falling off a cliff.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Flirting and eventual embracing/kissing between a couple. A teen tries to give a man advice on how to text-flirt with a woman he's interested in. One quick image of a smoke jumper's poster of a scantily clad woman's behind.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Bathroom humor includes a joke about a preschooler pooping in her disposable training pants -- and the poop getting everywhere during a disastrous diaper change.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

My Little Pony (animated show, as well as merchandise -- toys and party supplies) is prominently featured. Other brands seen include Dell, Kleenex, Google, Sony, Suave for Men, and the massive commercial truck.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Playing with Fire is a family comedy starring John Cena as "Supe," an elite smoke-jumping squad leader who rescues three siblings from a fire and has to take responsibility for them until their parents can claim them. The kids wreak havoc at the firehouse, playing with equipment and testing the patience of by-the-book Supe and his loyal crew ( John Leguizamo , Keegan-Michael Key , and Tyler Mane). There's not much iffy material, but you can expect a few moments of peril (fires, crashes, a near fall off a cliff), some bathroom humor (the littlest sibling's poop gets all over), and mild teasing between the kids and the adults. A couple flirts, embraces, and kisses; a teen tries to give a man text-flirting advice; and there's a quick image of a poster of a scantily clad woman's behind. The movie pays tribute to the courage of emergency responders and to the impact of intergenerational friendship and foster and adoptive parenting. The story encourages adults to prioritize family and friends over professional ambition and has themes of empathy and teamwork. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (31)
• Kids say (35)

Based on 31 parent reviews

Super disappointed in this review by common sense

What's the story.

Director Andy Fickman 's PLAYING WITH FIRE follows Jake "Supe" Carson ( John Cena ), a second-generation superintendent of a squad of elite California firefighters known as smoke jumpers. Their straight-laced, rule-following demeanor is put to the test when the team rescues three siblings from a fire and must provide safe sanctuary for them over a long weekend. Complicating matters is the fact that Supe is applying for a promotion and expects an important evaluation from the retiring Commander Richards ( Dennis Haysbert ). The kids -- teenage Brynn (Brianna Hildebrand), tween Will (Christian Convery), and preschooler Zoey (Finley Rose Slater) -- prove more difficult to control than Supe or his crew imagined. But as the kids and adults -- including Mark ( Keegan-Michael Key ), Rodrigo ( John Leguizamo ), and Axe (Tyler Mane) -- get to know one another, it's clear that Supe needs the siblings as much as they need him.

Is It Any Good?

Like Arnold Schwarzenegger and The Rock before him, Cena capitalizes on the charm of no-nonsense alpha males tapping into their nurturing sides in this slapsticky action comedy. Playing with Fire isn't nearly as quotable or memorable as Arnold's Kindergarten Cop , but the cast has enough comedic chemistry to keep families entertained. Leguizamo and Key deliver most of the jokes, with mountain-of-a-man Mane existing primarily as a sight gag. The screenplay is familiar, but at least the emergency responders storyline feels relevant, given the ongoing wildfire crisis in California.

The three siblings range widely in age, so they hit a breadth of parenting issues, from potty training and My Little Pony play to lack of impulse control, mechanical curiosity, and adolescent angst. Unlike the movie Instant Family , which covered weeks and months of foster care, this film compresses the timeline to just a few days. That makes the mayhem the kids can cause on otherwise-organized adults' lives that much more manic. Younger viewers will particularly enjoy the big firehouse dog, as well as the various commercial trucks and tools and the downright silliness of the crew getting in touch with their childlike imaginations. Judy Greer co-stars as Jake's love interest, USDA environmental scientist Dr. Amy Hicks, but she's slightly underused until the final third of the movie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the role models in Playing with Fire . How do Jake and the other smoke jumpers display courage and teamwork ? Why are those important character strengths ?

Why is it funny to watch big, burly, child-free men being around young children? Can you think of other movies with similar storylines?

What lessons does Jake learn from the kids? How do they impact him for the better? What do the kids learn from Jake and the other men in the squad?

Movie Details

• In theaters : November 8, 2019
• On DVD or streaming : February 4, 2020
• Cast : John Cena , Keegan-Michael Key , John Leguizamo
• Director : Andy Fickman
• Inclusion Information : Black actors, Latino actors
• Studio : Paramount Pictures
• Genre : Comedy
• Topics : Cars and Trucks , Friendship
• Character Strengths : Courage , Empathy , Teamwork
• Run time : 96 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG
• MPAA explanation : rude humor, some suggestive material and mild peril
• Last updated : March 31, 2022

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Playing with Fire

A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids. A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids. A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.

• Andy Fickman
• Matt Lieberman
• Keegan-Michael Key
• John Leguizamo
• 293 User reviews
• 64 Critic reviews
• 24 Metascore
• 2 wins & 2 nominations

• Dr. Amy Hicks

• Commander Richards

• Burly Smoke Jumper #1

• Burly Smoke Jumper #2
• Burly Smoke Jumper #3

• Burly Smoke Jumper #4

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia When asked his thoughts on this film, John Cena stated, "There's poopie stuff in it."
• Goofs Zoey is able to shoot the nail gun without depressing the safety mechanism.

Zoey : Boom boom!

Mark : What's boom boom?

Zoey : [tilts to one side and takes a dump in her diaper]

• Crazy credits Outtakes are shown during the closing credits.
• Connections Featured in Late Night with Seth Meyers: John Cena/Gugu Mbatha-Raw/Brendan Buckley (2019)
• Soundtracks Uptown Funk Written by Jeff Bhasker (as Jeffrey Bhasker), Devon Christopher Gallaspy (as Devon Gallaspy), Philip Lawrence (as Philip Lawrence II), Bruno Mars , Mark Ronson , Lonnie Simmons , Rudy Taylor , Trinidad James (as Nicholaus Williams), Charlie Wilson (as Charles K. Wilson), Robert Wilson (as Robert Lynn Wilson) & Ronnie Wilson (as Ronnie James Wilson) Performed by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars Courtesy of Mark Ronson under exclusive license from Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited/RCA Records Bruno Mars appears courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp. By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User reviews 293

• balinmangan
• Jan 25, 2020
• How long is Playing with Fire? Powered by Alexa
• (Denzel Washington) is not mentioned in the credits. Why is this ?.
• November 8, 2019 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Official Instagram
• Đùa Với Lửa
• British Columbia, Canada
• Broken Road Productions
• Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC)
• Nickelodeon Movies
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $29,900,000 (estimated)
• $44,451,847
• $12,723,781
• Nov 10, 2019
• $69,412,425

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 36 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Film Review: ‘Playing with Fire’

John Cena plays an uptight California smokejumper who's forced to take care of a trio of children in a family comedy that's really a kiddie sitcom.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

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The plot of every sitcom is the same. There’s an inciting incident and a weekly story arc, but the real plot is this: A collection of characters, whether they’re related or not, act out the notion that they’re a “family” (they snipe at each other because they love each other), and by tuning in we become part of that family; that’s why even the most acerbic sitcom makes us feel good. The sitcom started off as a form for adults, but like rock ‘n’ roll and designer fashion-plate coolness it’s now regularly targeted to 8-year-olds. Kiddie sitcoms are ubiquitous on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, and “ Playing with Fire ,” the new family comedy starring John Cena as a fearless but emotionally tight-ass smokejumper, is a barely glorified sitcom made in the overlit and benignly smart-mouth Nickelodeon house style.

The film opens with Cena, as Jake Carson, leading the battle against a wildfire blaze in a California forest. The fire sure looks real (it’s an impressive sequence), so you may figure you’re in for a wholesomely heroic action comedy. But then Jake, known as “Supe” (short for superintendent), and his right-hand men, the deeply loyal chatterbox Rodrigo (John Leguizamo) and the sarcastic wiseacre Mark (Keegan-Michael Key), head back to the firehouse, which is basically the film’s elaborate version of a three-camera sitcom set.

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There’s another brief action sequence (they rush to extinguish a burning cabin), but that’s only there to set up the sitcom premise: In the cabin they rescue three children — the sassy teenage Brynn (Brianna Hildebrand) and her sibling tots, Will (Christian Convery) and Zoey (Finley Rose Slater) — who now need a place to go. (They’re pretending their parents were away; in fact, they are orphans.) Do you think there’s a chance they could stay at the firehouse and cause a lot of precocious trouble and, through all the slapstick disaster, form a sitcom family with the smokejumpers?

In describing the kids’ antics, I almost used the term “high jinks,” but I avoided it because Brynn, in her more-plugged-in-than-thou Gen-Z hauteur, would sneer at a phrase like “high jinks.” It’s so old . That generational friction, between her and Jake, is the source of the film’s comedy — or, at least, it is in the first “episode,” which is basically “If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Get The Kids Out of the Kitchen.” There’s a bit of head-bonking, as well as an incident where Jake and Mark have to clean up a bathroom accident by little Zoey, and the actors’ largely improvised gross-out panic (we see more of it in the outtakes) is pretty damn funny. Keegan-Michael Key does something sharp in this movie: He takes a nothing role and plays each riff with a concentration so wide-eyed and manic it becomes surreal. (Leguizamo is less funny as a goofball man-child who reflexively misquotes the famous.)

But it’s John Cena’s movie. Playing this paramilitary firefighter jock, a character built directly around his bodybuilder physique, Cena is certainly convincing. He’s so pumped up his palms have muscles; the veins in his chest look like implanted electric wires. But Cena may be the first bodybuilder-turned-actor who has what Arnold Schwarzenegger had: the ability to project a mocking light soul trapped in a musclehead’s body. And Cena’s antic volubility is very 21st century. In “Playing with Fire,” he’s like Jon Hamm’s lunk brother — you want to see him wind down and unclench. And gradually he does.

The process starts in earnest with the movie’s middle episode, which could be called “Jake’s Heart Is On Fire,” in which he woos Dr. Amy Hicks ( Judy Greer ), the research scientist who’s working to preserve the habitat of a local species of toad. She and Jake had a date once, but he couldn’t get past his 24/7 smokejumper compulsiveness. (That’s because he was raised in a firehouse by his heroic firefighter daddy, who died in action.) There’s more slapstick, notably a scene of our boys trying to walk through spilled motor oil in a parking lot that’s shot with a lot of whirling POV camera. We then arrive at the last episode, which could be called “Who’s the Boss?,” in which Jake makes his big play to take over for Commander Richards (Dennis Haysbert), the gruff retiring chief officer of the California smokejumpers brigade.

That Jake winds up auditioning for the position while wearing a little girl’s stretched-too-tight fairy-tale unicorn T-shirt shows you just how much he has “grown.” If “Playing with Fire” were on Nickeloden, where Cena is a mainstay, it would have a laugh track and fewer outdoor scenes. It wouldn’t have to pretend that it’s a movie. But the audience for “Playing with Fire” may be content to think: What’s the difference, anyway?

Reviewed at AMC Lincoln Square, New York, Nov. 2, 2019. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 96 MIN.

• Production: A Paramount Pictures release of a Nickelodeon Movies, Paramount Players, Broken Road Productions, Walden Media production. Producers: Todd Garner, Sean Robins. Executive producer: Mark Moran.
• Crew: Director: Andy Fickman. Screenplay: Dan Ewan, Matt Liebmerman. Camera (color, widescreen): Dean Semler. Editor: Elisabet Ronalddóttir. Music: Nathan Wang.
• With: John Cena, Judy Greer, Keegan-Michael Key, John Leguizamo, Brianna Hildebrand, Dennis Haysbert, Christian Convery, Finley Rose Slater, Tyler Mane.

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• DVD & Streaming

Playing With Fire

• Comedy , Kids

Content Caution

In Theaters

• November 8, 2019
• John Cena as Jake Carson; Keegan-Michael Key as Mark Rogers; Judy Greer as Dr. Amy Hicks; Brianna Hildebrand as Brynn; John Leguizamo as Rodrigo Torres; Christian Convery as Will; Finley Rose Slater as Zoey

Home Release Date

• February 4, 2020
• Andy Fickman

Distributor

• Paramount Pictures

Movie Review

Jake Carson is a no-nonsense, by-the-book kind of guy. And he leads his squad of smoke jumpers with a military precision that would make George S. Patton blush.

“We must be at our very best at every second of every day,” is the mantra he pounds into his fellow firefighting smoke jumpers. And for good reason: If you parachute into a blazing forest fire and miss your mark by a just a few feet, or if you lose sight of your training for just a few seconds, then many lives—including your own—could be lost.

Jake was raised in a smoke-jumper station house. He was raised by a smoke-jumper superintendant. He was raised to be exactly who he is, doing exactly what he does: It’s his calling and his passion. And the only small deviation he can even feasibly see happening in his near future is the possibility of actually becoming Division Commander, a dream that he shared and his deceased father.

One thing that Jake is completely and incontrovertably not prepared for, however, is dealing with children. They’re like tiny wildfires with tiny brains. They’re unpredictable. They’re destructive. They’re deadly , because they can cause you to take your eyes off your goals.

And wouldn’t you know it, it just so happens that children have now overrun Jake Carson’s fire station. After a nearby forest fire burned down a family cabin, Jake was barely able to drop-cable in and pull the three kids—teen Brynn, and her younger siblings Will and Zoey—to safety. But now, weather conditions have forced the squad back to base. And according to the Safe Haven Law, the kids must go with them until their parents or state authorities can arrive.

So now the famous and stalwart Jake Carson is facing his biggest challenge yet, performing his most daring feat ever. The always-prepared and never wavering Jake Carson must suddenly learn to … babysit!

Positive Elements

Things get quite silly at times, but it’s clear that Playing With Fire values the heroism and sacrifices of firefighters. And even amid its slapstick shenanigans and boisterous hijinks, the film also displays a quietly thoughtful side when it comes to the importance of parents.

For instance, Will asks Jake to tell him a story before bed. Jake, unaccustomed to such routine parental duties, tenderly recounts a thinly veiled story about his single-parent dad. The story illustrates the love that Jake’s dad communicated, in spite of the man’s feelings of inadequacy.

[ Spoiler Warning ] Eventually, both Brynn and Will open up to Jake about their own parents’ death, as well as their struggles to run from authorities so that they can stay together as a family unit. Jake becomes a father figure for the kids, even though he fears that actually being a father would lessen his ability to do his job. The current division commander dispels that idea, telling Jake: “The people you care about and who care about you, they aren’t distractions. They’re the things that keep you going.” Jake and a woman named Amy (more about her below) fall in love, marry and adopt the three siblings, becoming an instant family. Will tells Jake, “Someday I’m going to be a hero, just like you.”

Spiritual Elements

Sexual content.

We see Jake with his shirt off a few times and once in the shower, where we see him from the waist up. He’s very muscular¬—something that a local female scientist named Dr. Amy Hix makes note of with appreciation when she sees him in a different scene. In fact, jokes are made about Jake’s rugged physique and heroism, too. After a rescue, one woman adoringly sighs, “My husband is dead, take me with you.” To which her husband says, “I’m literally standing right here!”

When the kids move temporarily into the fire station bunk house, young Will spots a bikini-girl poster hanging by one of the bunks. (It showcases a skimpily clothed woman with her back to the camera.) The youngest kid, Zoey, asks Jake to sing a lullaby before bed; in response, he begins to recite a naughty limerick about a “man from Nantucket,” before stopping himself.

There’s an obvious attraction between Jake and Dr. Hix. And Brynn suggests that Jake invite Amy to spend the night at the station after she comes over for dinner. To his credit, Jakes says that choice would be inappropriate.

Violent Content

Most of the violence in the mix here is of the slapstick, adults-getting-thumped variety. Jake is comically slammed around inside a burning building, for instance, when a rookie helicopter pilot misunderstands his command and prematurely tries to lift Jake up by an attached cable.

Firemen get slammed into walls and have bunk beds (and other things collapse) on them—slapstick incidents usually caused by the kids in one way or another. And the kids manage to create trouble in other ways, too. Young Will, for instance grabs a couple of flare guns. Mistakenly thinking that they’re NERF guns, he fires them inside the station. The flares ricochet off the walls, hit people and set someone on fire. Little Zoey grabs a nail gun and starts shooting metal projectiles around. Someone squirts barbeque fluid on hot coals, causing an explosion. A spilled tub of soap is sprayed with a fire hose and creates a room full of slippery soap bubbles. A birthday cake is accidentally turned into a raging inferno. A young boy runs full force into the side of a van, knocking himself out cold.

Some of these hijinks cross a line into more dangerous-looking stuff. Brynn steals an ATV for instance, running into Jake with the vehicle and sending him flying when he tries to halt her progress. And a stolen Humvee crashes and almost sends the kids plummeting to their deaths before they’re rescued. Several scenes also involve raging forest fires that surround people in their vehicles.

Crude or Profane Language

Uses of “oh my gosh” and one exclamation of “God, yes!”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Will finds a bottle of booze in the bunkhouse. One of the firefighters snatches it up quickly; he says it wasn’t his, but adds that he’d “take care of it” anyway.

Little Zoey likes having tea parties and she somehow gets her hands on lighter fluid, which she pours in the cups. Jake and another adult spit the fluid out: one of them actually causing a fire. A large firefighter named Axe, however, ignites the cup of flammable liquid and drinks it down.

Other Negative Elements

The kids are rebellious sorts who pay no heed to most of the instructions or directions given by adults. In fact, teen Brynn and tween Will both openly defy the requests and the demands leveled in their direction. Their defiance—ranging from openly lying and causing havoc, to stealing keys and vehicles—is played for laughs.

Zoey is too young to purposely cause much harm, but the little girl becomes a constant source of not-yet-potty-trained toilet humor. Her repeated reports of making “boom boom” in her pants sends the adults into gagging fits. (Again, played for laughs.) And in one instance the child’s excrement explodes up and into the facemask of Jake’s hazard suit. Poop emoji are also another running gag.

OK, so you don’t need a magnifying glass and a decoder ring to look at this film and instantly have your “goofy kids’ flick” warning buzzer start squawking. With one peek, you know pretty much exactly where this PG pic is going and what sort of firehose-blast and potty-eruption silliness you’ll be drenched in. (Think wannabe Three Stooges-style slapstick dressed up in a very thread-bare fire suit.)

And truthfully, if that was your first impression, you wouldn’t be wrong.

But Playing With Fire is actually funnier—and even a bit deeper—than it appears to be in its trailers. Keegan-Michael Key (of Key & Peele fame) knows how to tickle a funny bone. And even when the scripted stuff isn’t particularly chuckle-worthy, he’s able to at least leave you grinning. And the rest of this movie, and its cast, works hard to follow that lead.

On top of that, there’s also an adoption-friendly focus here that kicks in by the time the credits roll. It may not totally save you from all the “baby boom-boom” that your scorched senses will endure, but it does sweeten the burn.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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‘Playing With Fire’ Review: A Firefighter Comedy Running on Embers

John Cena and Judy Greer elevate this family comedy that won’t quite ignite.

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By Teo Bugbee

The hero of “Playing With Fire,” Jake Carson ( John Cena ), is forever pointing out that he’s not a firefighter. He’s a smokejumper, and with the help of his quirky crew, played by John Leguizamo and Keegan-Michael Key , Jake drops from helicopters to put out forest fires. With single-minded focus, he seeks out the most dangerous blazes. Unfortunately, the flat-footed family comedy around him fails to produce sparks.

Jake’s hyper-regimentation is challenged when his crew lowers him into a burning cabin. He finds three children huddled in the blaze and takes them into his care at the station. Immediately, the kids, ranging in age from toddler to teenager, make themselves too much at home.

Most of the movie’s comedy comes from the chaos of children run amok in fireman’s land. They shoot nail guns and play in the fire simulation room, and their ragamuffin charms quickly win over the grown-ups. Jake warms, abandoning regulation in favor of fun at home and even romance with the scientist gal next door. But despite the novel setting, the director Andy Fickman has made a visually flat film. The editing is frequently awkward, clunkily overemphasizing physical gags, and lingering too long on the actors as they try to light up dusty material.

What “Playing With Fire” does get right is its central casting. Cena suits his woodblock character, imbuing the square firestopper with a warmth that seems neither phony nor self-conscious, and the always welcome Judy Greer waves her magic character-actress wand to fill out what might have been a scolding love interest. It’s an unchallenging movie, but as far as unchallenging kids movies go, the actors ensure this one doesn’t fall into soullessness.

Playing With Fire

Rated PG for action scenes and gross out humor. Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes.

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Review: Firefighters (and John Cena) deserve better than lowbrow comedy ‘Playing With Fire’

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In 2017, Joseph Kosinski directed “Only the Brave,” a studious and searing depiction of wildland firefighting. It’s an honest and unflinching account of the training, tactics and bravery, and sheer sacrifice required to do such a job, one that has only become more crucial as climate change-enhanced wildfires ravage California. It was a criminally underseen film that more people should seek out this weekend, rather than subject themselves and their loved ones to the surreal, fecal-flecked nonsense that is “Playing with Fire.” It’s a family comedy about wildland firefighters, or “smokejumpers,” who gain a little levity in their lives thanks to a trio of mischievous kids.

The Los Angeles air was redolent with the smell of smoke the morning “Playing with Fire” screened, creating a full-on sensory experience. When the film opens on a group of motorists trapped on a mountain road, surrounded by fire, it’s almost horrific. But then, Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” kicks in. “It’s too hot, hot damn,” Mars croons as star John Cena, playing Supervisor Jake Carson, calls in a drop of fire retardant, grabs a flaming branch, fends off a lusty wife and steps aside to let a small child run face-first into the side of a minivan. It’s so strange it’s positively Lynchian.

Directed by Andy Fickman and written by Dan Ewen and Matt Lieberman, “Playing with Fire” shoots for slapstick but lands squarely in the surreal. Supervisor Jake, known as Supe, is a highly controlled man in charge of a motley crew of smokejumpers who have their world turned upside down by the young siblings they rescue from a burning cabin. The quartet of macho men is no match for sarcastic teen Bryn (Brianna Hildebrand), wily Will (Christian Convery) and adorable Zoey (Finley Rose Slater), but it sure seems like everyone’s going to dig deep and learn a few important lessons along the way.

Or at least that’s the vaguely sketched idea one gleans from among all the physics-defying bathroom jokes and “My Little Pony” references. Cena, taking cues from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in crafting his star trajectory from WWE to the big screen, relies on the amusing juxtaposition between big dude and little kid. He brings a sort of energetically rubber-faced performance style that is certainly effortful enough. Cena doesn’t seem to realize he’s funnier when he’s not trying as hard, but everyone in “Playing with Fire” is trying very, very hard, especially Keegan-Michael Key , putting in overtime to bring some real humor to the affair.

Fickman’s directing is uninspired at best, barely competent at worst. The framing and composition is dire; there’s no sense of rhythm or flow, and characters constantly appear and disappear at random. But it’s the writing that truly fails the film and characters. There’s no set-up, so when things go kiddie haywire, we have no context for who the characters are and how they might react. It’s all random and unearned, so it makes sense that most of the humor involves spraying or splattering Supe with excrement or lighter fluid or soap or fire extinguisher spray: All the more opportunity for Cena to take off his shirt.

“Playing with Fire” is harmless enough, a lighthearted romp about tough guys learning to let their guard down. But it relies on tired, lowbrow comedy tropes and is executed so poorly that it’s not worth the effort. Haven’t firefighters had it hard enough this fall?

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

‘Playing With Fire’

Rated: PG ,for rude humor, some suggestive material and mild peril Running time: 1 hour, 36 minutes Playing: In general release

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Playing With Fire (2019)

As children-aimed comedies go, Playing With Fire is bottom-of-the-barrel fodder that’s equally frustrating as it is mundane.  There’s no wit about it and it taps nearly every single melodramatic trope you’d expect along the way to the point your eyes may be hurting from rolling so much.  It’s a film I will have no desire to revisit again.

That being said, I honestly don’t think any of that will matter given that Andy Fickman’s safe comedy is made purely for the young children market, and those in attendance at this particular screening seemed to enjoy themselves immensely.  Whilst adults are often spoiled with family fare aiming a few peppered jokes at their humour level to keep them mildly amused amongst the PG-rated shenanigans (fellow Paramount Pictures production Dora the Explorer being a classic recent example of a child-friendly movie that served up its share of mature humour), Playing With Fire foregoes universal appeal and sets its sights on entertaining the youngens, and I suppose in that regard it’s something of a success.

Making sure it never steers from its child-friendly mentality – even the film’s climax is decidedly sitcom-esque in its depiction of “peril” – Playing With Fire throws in all the age-appropriate humour it can think of as a trio of parent-less siblings (Christian Convery, Finley Rose Slater and Deadpool ‘s Brianna Hildebrand) are taken in by a team of veteran smokejumpers when their cabin in the woods is engulfed by a local fire.  Given that the team’s hardened leader (John Cena) has no apparent emotional capacity to deal with children of any sort – naturally, his aversion to kids is played up with all the hijinks you’d expect – and the fellow crew members (Keegan Michael Key, John Leguizamo and Tyler Mane) are equally as ill-equipped, “chaos” ensues for a not-entirely-taxing 96 minutes.

Whilst said chaos revolves around the kids playing pranks on the unsuspecting brawny lads – and one rather off-putting gag involving a nappy change that is particularly foul, even for PG-rated standards – the Dan Ewen/Matt Lieberman-penned script occasionally leads towards safe emotional territory, but as these moments touch on the frustrations of living in the shadow of your parents, as well as a romantic subplot involving a wasted Judy Greer as a potential love interest for Cena’s near-robotic Captain, it’s unlikely children will take away anything of depth or value.

As an adult, even one who enjoys younger-aimed films, Playing With Fire is not something I would voluntarily see, but your kids will probably laugh extensively throughout and that should be just enough of a reward for parents-in-tow to forgive the film for its mind-numbing simplicities.

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Playing with Fire movie review: Cringe-fest for parents, but a fun time for kids

By sandy c. | nov 7, 2019.

Playing with Fire movie is in theaters this weekend. If you’re on the fence about taking the family, we’re here to help!

Parents, I know what you’re thinking, the trailer for  Playing with Fire  is enough for you to know not to catch it in theaters. But hear me out! Your kids, especially young boys, are likely going to have a great time and learn a few things along the way. I suppose it all depends on how much you love your children! Joking aside, here’s what parents might love (and not so much) about  Playing with Fire,  starring John Cena.

The movie follows fire superintendent Jake Carson (Cena) and his team of firefighters. After the elite team saves three siblings, they must care for them until their parents pick them up in the morning. Carson and the others are prepared for any sort of emergency or challenge that may come their way, with the exception of babysitting. Suddenly, fires don’t seem as wild and unpredictable as kids can be.

There won’t be any spoilers here, but let’s just say the kids aren’t being completely honest about their parents. The movie is very predictable, and you’ll get what I’m talking about within the first half hour or the movie. Still, this is a children’s movie, so let’s treat and judge it as such.

Kids will remain oblivious to the predictable story and enjoy every minute of it. There are plenty of silly gags and jokes to go around, and the performances are particularly cringey, but children will find it all hilarious and even care for the characters. And hey, at least the movie is only 95 minutes.

What’s the recommended age for the movie? I’m no expert, but as a mom I would say this movie can be enjoyed by children 5-years and up.

Don’t get me wrong, the movie is pretty forgettable. Without coming off as pushy, children learn family values and what’s better than family as we head into Thanksgiving? However, as much as my 6-year-old enjoyed it and wanted to play with firetrucks the rest of the day, all care for  Playing with Fire  was gone by the following morning. So whether you believe the movie is worth the big screen is up to you!

Next. 10 movies and TV shows to watch on Netflix in November. dark

Playing with Fire is in theaters Nov. 8 and also stars Keegan-Michael Key, John Leguizamo, Brianna Hildebrand, and Judy Greer. 

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Playing With Fire review – so unfunny it will extinguish your will to live

A late contender for the worst movie of the year, Playing With Fire takes the Kindergarten Cop model of juxtaposing ultra-macho tough guys with adorable yet impish kiddies, and letting chaos and fluffy unicorns ensue. John Cena is Jake Carson, a “smoke jumper”, essentially a firefighter who parachutes into infernos and battles them with his fists and the crushing awfulness of his comic line readings. Responding to a cabin fire at the local lake, Jake rescues three children who, due to a legal loophole, then become his responsibility until their parents can collect them.

This is beyond inept. Aiming for cheery banter, the film-makers optimistically allow Cena and his fellow firefighters (Keegan-Michael Key, John Leguizamo) to improvise. The result is acres of dead air and agonising silences so empty you can hear the sinews in Cena’s enormous neck twanging sadly. This is a film so devoid of ideas that it dedicates an entire extended montage to the firefighters going to a supermarket to do a spot of shopping. It turns out that sluggishly edited shots of big men pushing trolleys and buying plush toys is not, in fact, an adequate replacement for writing some funny lines. The will to live is extinguished along with the raging brush fires.

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Playing with Fire

Dove Review

The Synopsis:

A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.

The Review:

Supe (John Cena) has a good thing going in his firefighting outpost with other fire jumpers Mark (Keegan-Michael Key), Rodrigo (John Leguizamo), and Axe (Tyler Mane). But when his team suddenly finds itself responsible for three young siblings, Supe’s skills are challenged in ways that he never thought possible. Along the way, he’ll critically examine his lifelong profession, reconsider his relationship with Dr. Amy Hicks (Judy Greer), and entertain both kids and adults!

While the three children (Brianna Hildebrand, Christian Covery, Finley Rose Slater) are adorable, they’re also mischievous and a bit dangerous, after being left on their own in a wilderness cabin. Supe’s strict, all-business policy crashes (and burns) when coming into contact with the children, leaving his staff floundering to find ways to both protect their firehouse and the children from each other. Along the way, there are plenty of laughs, both clever and slapstick, that prove that the film is more than just the funny bits you can see in the trailer. (One of the best moments is still watching Slater go little girl versus slobbery dog though!)

Some films are sold as family friendly but have cringe-worthy moments that can leave parents uncomfortable, throwing up hands to shield their child’s eyes or ears. Playing with Fire actually aims for family fun, providing a significant number of laughs that made the theater full of families laugh, intergenerationally, without any of the thinly-veiled adult moments. While real-world issues do infringe on the happiness of the fire jumpers and the kids, with discussions about parental death, past trauma, and personal insecurities, it’s done in a way that safely shows the right ways to talk about the tougher moments in our lives. Throw in the strong family emphasis, including fostering, and this is one of those films you can feel good about showing intergenerational groups and feel like there was a point to what you saw, too.

Funny, clever, and heartwarming, Playing with Fire jumps high up the list for 2019 films available to the whole family. Thanks to its family-friendly focus, it is Dove-approved for All Ages.

Dove Rating Details

Boy slaps firefighter in the face; a few moments of firefighting peril

Firefighter quickly hides a bottle of wine he had in his bunk

John Cena is shown shirtless several times; provocative picture is hung above a bunk.

Extended diarrhea gag; discussion of parental death occurs.

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Movie Review – Playing With Fire (2019)

December 23, 2019 by Tom Beasley

Playing With Fire , 2019.

Directed by Andy Fickman. Starring John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianna Hildebrand, John Leguizamo, Tyler Mane, Judy Greer, Christian Convery, Finley Rose Slater and Dennis Haysbert.

A no-nonsense smoke jumper finds himself caring for a trio of unruly children when he rescues them from their burning home.

It seems that every wrestler-turned-actor has to go through a phase of starring in bizarre family comedies. Dwayne Johnson had Tooth Fairy , Hulk Hogan had Mr Nanny . Heck, even The Miz had Santa’s Little Helper . The next grappler to step up to the plate is John Cena in Playing With Fire . It’s a big, broad and cutesy comedy that loves a cliché almost as much as it loves a slapstick sequence of someone falling over. With that said, though, it’s a tonne of fun largely carried along on Cena’s gargantuan shoulders.

The former WWE ace plays Captain Jake Carson, who is not a fireman but a smoke jumper – the distinction is hugely important to him. Several of his crew leave for a bigger unit, leaving Jake behind with just Mark (Keegan-Michael Key), Rodrigo (John Leguizamo) and the taciturn Axe (Tyler Mane). During one dramatic rescue job, Jake plucks three children – teenage Brynn (Brianna Hildebrand), Will (Christian Convery) and Zoey (Finley Rose Slater) – from a burning building and, when their parents say they can’t collect them until morning because of a storm, he realises he is going to have to look after them until the bad weather passes.

This is a setup that, in some form or another, has carried dozens of gentle family comedies over the years, and it does so again here. Cena’s megawatt charisma ignites both his harsh, brooding side and the goofy softness that has always lurked behind his persona on the big screen and in the wrestling ring. Whether he’s sliding around and pratfalling on an oily pathway, going full Rambo-esque survivalist in the woods or holding a tiny-looking iPhone in his monstrously huge hands, he’s never anything other than an engaging and deeply likable comedic presence, even when he’s being a self-righteous douche. Which is often.

There’s also some really good work surrounding Cena in the shape of his fellow smoke jumpers, played by Keegan Michael-Key and John Leguizamo. The former – a sketch show veteran – seemingly improvises furiously for every single one of the 90 minutes and, for the most part, hits consistently on laughs as he does so. Leguizamo, meanwhile, does an impressive cutesy shtick as the in-house cook – he can only cook with tinned Spam – and a man whose constant hours cooped up indoors have given him an impressive level of My Little Pony knowledge. Indeed, if you wanted a clear signal of this movie’s target audience, you need only glance at the level of in-depth MLP lore and the frequency with which characters break into Fortnite dances.

It helps that the three kids are also having the time of their lives. Brianna Hildebrand – last seen as Deadpool ‘s Negasonic Teenage Warhead – leads the trio with a smart mouth and a head full of secrets, while Christian Convery is ace as a curious young boy obsessed with the world of the smoke jumpers and Finley Rose Slater plays the sweet, but irritating little girl to perfection. Every plot beat and character turn is predictable and in keeping with convention, but director Andy Fickman – best known for the “yikes” double bill of She’s the Man and Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 – keeps the tone so brisk and fluffy that it’s impossible not to be happy when watching it.

But it’s Cena who elevates this beyond standard issue entertainment. Cena is a comedic treasure who deserves every success that has been awarded to fellow WWE alumni The Rock and Dave Bautista. He’s not just a slapstick powerhouse, but he’s also willing to send up his own persona – wrestling fans will spot his patented “you can’t see me” gesture – and embrace a surprisingly heartfelt vein of emotion in the final moments and his relationship with Judy Greer’s do-gooder scientist.

Playing With Fire as a whole is a sweet-natured, charming comedy that definitely has a warm heart, but it’s Cena who – metaphorically rather than literally, of course – keeps the fire burning.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Tom Beasley is a freelance film journalist and wrestling fan. Follow him on Twitter via @TomJBeasley for movie opinions, wrestling stuff and puns.

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Playing with Fire Parent Guide

If you find potty humor amusing, this is the film for you. no one else is going to want to watch it..

An elite team of firefighters is forced to take in some rambunctious children until their parents can be located. But for these smoke-jumpers, it looks like childcare might be more challenging than their average forest fire.

Release date November 8, 2019

Run Time: 96 minutes

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The guide to our grades, parent movie review by brooke berry.

If you consider potty humor to be the pinnacle of wit, this is your lucky day. If you want to watch actors flex their muscles instead of actually emoting, you have really struck gold. Playing with Fire, a completely pointless piece of children’s cinema, fits these criteria to a “T”.

Anyone who’s watched the trailer can figure out the story behind the movie. An elite crew of firefighters (known as fire jumpers), led by Jake Carson (John Cena) rescues three youngsters (one teen and two younger siblings played by Brianna Hildebrand, Christian Convery and Finley Rose Slater) from a burning cabin. The parents can’t be located, so it falls to the firefighters to look after the kids until the parents return. Think Daddy Day Care with fire extinguishers and you’ve figured out the rest of the story. Mouthy, precocious kids and clueless adults produce comic mayhem; mutual respect develops; and a happy ending ensues.

Not only will adults wince at the jokes, they won’t be moved by either the story or the acting. John Cena is painfully wooden and his attempts to look rigid and uptight come across as bland and boring. He is easily upstaged by his sidekicks, played by Keegan-Michael Key and John Leguizamo. Key is the only consistently funny part of the movie, with fine comic timing and highly expressive facial expressions. Parents will also be disturbed by the attitude – pervasive in the film – that children are an inconvenience who prevent adults from doing more important things. The kids practically have to prove their worth and value to adults, and that’s simply sad.

On the plus side, Playing with Fire has very little in the way of content issues, aside from the aforementioned potty humor. There are some moments of extreme peril, but with such uninteresting characters, it’s hard to get too emotionally invested. It also manages to promote positive messages around the importance of making family a priority and working together. Ultimately, however hard this movie tries to tug at our heartstrings, its own mediocrity works against it. With its predictable plot and one-note characters, not only can’t it start a fire; it can barely light a spark.

About author

Brooke berry, watch the trailer for playing with fire.

Playing with Fire Rating & Content Info

Why is Playing with Fire rated PG? Playing with Fire is rated PG by the MPAA for rude humor, some suggestive material and mild peril.

Violence: There are scenes of peril involving firefighters in dangerous situations. A vehicle containing children almost goes over a drop; the children are saved at the last minute. There is an ATV accident. Flare guns are fired indoors. There are numerous episodes of people falling off of and into things; these are played for comic relief. A man with an ax pretends to be a zombie to frighten someone else. A dodgeball game gets a bit rough but there are no injuries. One character slaps another in the face. Characters talk about loved ones who have died, some in fires. Sexual Content: A man and woman kiss. There is a poster of a barely covered woman’s backside. Profanity:   No actual swearing but lots of crude bathroom language. Alcohol / Drug Use: None noted.

Page last updated April 6, 2020

Loved this movie? Try these books…

If your young reader is fascinated by firefighters, there’s lots of reading material to choose from.

Chris L Demarest’s Firefighters A to Z familiarizes youngsters with the equipment used in fighting fires.

Flashing Fire Engines by Tony Mitton gives kids an up close look at how firefighters actually battle blazes. For even more realism, check out I Want to Be a Firefighter. Written and lavishly photographed by Dan Liebman, this gives kids a realistic look at the job.

And not all firefighters are male. Lois G Grambling has written My Mom Is a Firefighter.

p>Forest fires don’t just affect people. In Forest Fire by Mary Ann Fraser, the forest life cycle is described and illustrated. Wildfires by Seymour Simon provides extensive photographs and a discussion of fire aimed at elementary school aged readers.

The most recent home video release of Playing with Fire movie is February 4, 2020. Here are some details…

Related home video titles:.

If you are amused by clueless guys raising kids, Daddy Day Care , and Daddy Day Camp are what you’ve been waiting for.

A man who has always put his career first, gets shot and wakes up in an alternate reality where he is married to his college sweetheart and raising two kids in The Family Man .

A couple become foster parents to three youngsters with lots of baggage in Instant Family .

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Playing with Fire Reviews

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Playing With Fire Reviews

• 1 hr 26 mins
• Documentary
• Watchlist Where to Watch

Playing with Fire is a documentary about the actresses in Afghanistan who are courageous enough to be involved with theater arts and find themselves facing harsh criticism, social disapproval and even threats about their lives and the lives of their families. Acting has even caused a girl's death in Kabul and many young actresses have been forced to flee the country.