The Family Plan

(Mostly) family friendly and predictable movie, but nice to have an option to put on and watch with the family and enjoy. You don't have to be a plot savant to figure out what is going on and how it will end, but there are enough comedic moments and well cut scenes to keep you engaged if you are just watching to enjoy some family time. As I read another reviewer state, it's a great watch it and forget it type of move. Entertainment for the sake of entertainment! Having said that, there is the reminder of the importance of family and the struggles of raising teenagers. They hit a few of these points spot on. Make more of these types of movies so I can enjoy them with the family please.

So there was some money left and no ideas. How easy is it just to remake a high scoring film but without the large budget. This is so copied from True Lies, even the main character has the same job and there is also the evil Asian woman. The ending with a show out against the baddies in an empty building, same. Between the first and last act there is the road trip ala National Lampoon's Vacation and it feels as boring as the real trip possibly would be. A few scenes are inserted to show how the kids and parents are growing to eachother. The film is trying to copy the light hearted touch of True Lies but fails. Is it a bad film? No surprisingly it is entertaining enough to sit along, mainly due to the main characters Mark Wahlberg and the amazing Michelle Monaghan. It's an actrice I don't see much, but she does a great job and it feels there is chemistry between both persons. And Mark Wahlberg never changes and I still love this guy for his commitment.

Reading the negative audience reviews here, it's as if many of the people decided to watch The Family Plan without any idea about what they might get with a Mark Wahlberg, family-oriented action-comedy. This ain't Oppenheimer, folks. My wife and I had zero expectations when we tuned in and this movie more than surpassed the low bar we had set. It was cute, funny, and mildly action-oriented, with better than expected acting and a few moments that were actually pretty funny and heart-warming. If you're looking for a potential Oscar nominee, you're looking in the wrong place. But, if you want to pass a few hours and walk away with a smile on your face (like the adorable baby in this movie), you really won't go wrong with The Family Plan.

This was a cute movie, where Marky Mark (also producer here) is in a physical shape that is truly exceptional, and married to a beautiful wife with only a very civilized age gap. There's product placement, but not too much. There's staggering violence, but it's all squeaky clean so it can be a Xmas movie. All the supporting cast is ethnic just the right amount. The family is flush with tremendous cash, which helps plot advancement as well as beautiful cinematography / scenes.

It was very enjoyable, assuming enough suspension of disbelief. The whole thing is obviously very predictable, but it's executed nicely. Everybody but the teenage daughter is world-class level at something, so while it's promoting family values, it is, for a change, not promoting mediocrity.

I watched this while cycling indoors, was perfect to get me through my winter workout.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

The Family Plan is a pretty fair action comedy film that has a family road trip with Mark Wahlberg having a secret life before them. As he was once a rogue agent and trained to kill. And a bunches of henchmen are after him.

The plot is okay which involves Mark Wahlberg trying to connect with his teen kids and trying to break the news to his wife the truth.

The action sequences are okay and entertaining. Mark Wahlberg did great in the role. The rest of the cast did okay as well. The villain felt underdeveloped. The humor can be cheesy with Mark Wahlberg and the baby fighting with the baby just giggling through tough situations.

Overall, it was a pretty fair film with plenty of fun action but cheesy humor.