Since I’m in Burbank this week, I spent a wee bit of time today at Paramount Studios lot and I was able to watch a special screening of Playing with Fire (which opened today). I had seen tons of commercials about the movie and knew it would be funny. How could it not be funny with the cast of characters it has!
L-R: Keegan-Michael Key, Finley Rose Slater, and John Cena in PLAYING WITH FIRE from Paramount Pictures. Photo Credit: Doane Gregory.
To be honest it’s a bit odd and unrealistic that firefighters rescuing three siblings from a fire are not able to find their parents and then the leader of the group becomes their temporary legal guardian. But hey, it’s the movies!
When the kids come to live at the firehouse, their wild, unpredictable behavior clashes with the head firefighter’s gruff and serious demeanor. Slowly the kids and the man in charge begin to bond and they teach him to access his inner child. Along the way it seems like they just might destroy the entire firehouse.
The young cast definitely makes this a movie kids want to see, but parent’s beware, the film is full of shenanigans, rude humor, suggestive material, and scenes of perilous fire rescues, so you may want to be careful and make the judgement based on each of your kids’ personality.
Did I like it? I loved it – but I’m also a 64 year old grandmother that gets a kick out of most things kids do and I also understand the humor.
My advice to parents – it’s a 50/50 call at what age the kids can see this. You be the judge. Will the mildly scary fire scenes be too much for a sensitive child who will leave being anxious about their house burning and not being able to find their parents?? It’s a tough call.
The cast definitely makes the film funny. It’s the sort of film that that makes you laugh and then makes you cry and then makes you laugh again.
Official Synopsis
When straight-laced fire superintendent Jake Carson and his elite team of expert firefighters come to the rescue of three siblings in the path of an encroaching wildfire, they quickly realize that no amount of training could prepare them for their most challenging job yet – babysitters.
Unable to locate the children’s parents, the firefighters have their lives, jobs and even their fire depot turned upside down and quickly learn that kids – much like fires –are wild and unpredictable.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Mark Moran
PRODUCED BY: Todd Garner, p.g.a. and Sean Robins
STORY BY: Dan Ewen
SCREENPLAY BY: Dan Ewen and Matt Lieberman
DIRECTED BY: Andy Fickman
CAST: John Cena ♦ Keegan-Michael Key ♦ John Leguizamo ♦ Brianna Hildebrand ♦ Dennis Haysbert ♦ Judy Greer
Official Trailer:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM1DVbwKP3o[/embedyt]
About Paramount Studios
As one of the longest operating studio in Hollywood, Paramount Pictures has been on the ground floor of every major development in film – from the advent of motion pictures, to the emergence of television, through the digital revolution. The studio has served as the production site for thousands of notable movies and TV shows.
The studio lot has grown considerably over the years, expanding from 26 acres and four stages to 65 acres and thirty stages. They have constructed impressive sites like the massive Blue Sky Tank and the one-of-a-kind New York Street backlot, which features ten distinct city neighborhood backdrops. When you the Paramount lot, not only will you see where some of the most celebrated movies and television series were made, but you will also have the opportunity to see how they continue to produce iconic motion pictures for the next century.
At Paramount, you get to wander through the past and see the future at the same time.
